But this never happened at the Tate

This weekend, I went into Boston with Mr. G for a much-needed break from the to-do list. One of our destinations was the recently opened ICA, Institute for Contemporary Art/Boston.

I like museums, and particularly art museums. I get recharged by them. And even if I prefer my art to predate 1900, I’ve had enough encounters with modern art to know it’s good for you. Shakes up the system, makes you look at the world anew. A tonic.

Alas, “shakes up the system” was the operative term.

There was an exhibit at the ICA called “The World as a Stage,” which was several pieces exploring how the audience and stage interact and create each other. Good stuff. But there was one installation, "Rotating Labyrinth," which was my undoing. It was concentric rings of angled mirrored posts, which reflected the outside of the ring, you (wherever you were), and the reflections of the reflections. It was a bit like being inside a zoetrope. I started cackling like mad and jogging around inside the rings, watching all of the reflections blur the “real world” and the “reflected world.” Wow! Cool!

Reflection. Recursion. Existentialism. Warped reality. Light and shadow.

Dizzy…

It all caught up with me: I might have been giggling like a demonic three-year-old, but I no longer have that childlike capacity to keep my head after prolonged twirling. I staggered out of the installation, and minutes later, was still light-headed. The problem was, most of the art, even the building itself (being located right on Boston Harbor), is geared toward light, movement, shadows, challenged perception. I imagined the security guards laughing as they watched security footage of other adult children careening around the room, banging into mirrors like sparrows into a bay window.

I lurched into another room and was confronted with what I believe was a twelve-foot tall bronze statue of spider.

An abrupt about-face didn’t help my wooziness, but it got me out of there. I hate spiders, Jock, I hate ‘em!

Thing is, if I hadn’t overdone it with the mirrors, I would have really had a great time. There was another piece, charcoal on wires, that was captivating. Ethereal. Audio visual art that was hysterical and challenging. I just have to manage how I interact with it all.

Lesson learned. It’s time to start treating art like the potent drug that it is. I know my limits.