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The
passionate fight to save Edward Durrell Stone's building at 2
Columbus Circle (and now the Museum of Art and Design or MAD) was
lost - and we are not entirely happy with the conservative redesign
by architect Brad Cloepfil. The whimsy and originality of
the original 1964 building, with its Venetian influences, has been
effaced completely. The lollipop arches remain on the ground
floor, but the rest of the façade seems safe - an attempt to blend
into the fabric of the city.
On
the exterior, white marble has been replaced by glazed terracotta
tiles that are coated to reflect light at night, and there is a
neutral indeterminate look to the building. However, on the
inside the redesign appears to have enhanced the functionality of
the building. Glass ribbons crossing the exterior of the
building let light into the galleries and offer spectacular views
of Central Park and Columbus Circle. Blond wood floors and
high white ceilings with track lighting provide the perfect canvas
for the museum's playful offerings. The entire ground floor
is encased in glass, providing a transparent window onto the
surrounding streets through the lollipop arches. At MAD's new home
on Columbus Circle art, craft and design come together in objects
that offer a modern, whimsical mixture of color, texture, and
form.
The
current exhibit could well be a metaphor for the redesign of the
building. Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary takes
discarded or everyday objects of no value and transforms them into
stunning objects d'art. Paul Villnski's site-specific
installation My Back Pages (2008), displays old 45rpm vinyl
records that have been fashioned into beautiful multicolored
butterflies using a scroll saw. They fly out of the wall and
an accompanying turntable like a brightly colored frenzy of
butterflies in the spring. Villinski listened to each record
before giving it new life in a ceremonial homage to its
forthcoming transformation. In her 2004 piece Frailties,
British artist Susie MacMurray takes yellow washing gloves, turns
them inside out and stitches them onto calico, creating a majestic
six-foot wedding gown that spreads out onto the museum
floor. This clever comment on the traditional female role of
the washerwoman seamlessly unites fashion, design and art.
Equally witty is Stuart Haygarth's Spectacle (2006). This
towering tiered chandelier made up of 1,020 discarded pairs of
prescription glasses offers up a dual visual and linguistic pun
and perfectly encapsulates the curator's vision of presenting
aesthetically beautiful objects that also comment on their
original pre-recycled states. (Through February 15, 2009)
Visit:
MAD New
York, 2 Columbus Circle
Discover:
Paul
Villinski's art
Tags:
new york
buildings
architecture
museums
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