Upon entering Dream House, the viewer is immediately bathed in bright pink LED lighting. The air is thick with the scent of incense and the carpet feels soft and inviting. The sound, a cacophony of droning, vibrating tones, is intense, bordering on overwhelming. The volume is so high that it becomes difficult to concentrate on anything beyond the immediate sensation of noise. The vibrations in the air, coupled with the scent of incense, create a meditative atmosphere that is encouraged by hallucinatory artwork and cushions on the floor. The space embodies a tension between chaos and clarity where the focus is on the neurological effect of the space—how it feels to be immersed in a sensory world.
Given its historical context, Dream House is more than just a display of sound and light. Created by minimalist composer La Monte Young and his partner, artist Marian Zazeela, Dream Hous has been an ongoing work since the late 1960s, rooted in the countercultural ethos of the time. The installation draws from the exploration of spatial and sensory boundaries, with an intention to transcend the normal experience of reality and tap into a heightened state of perception. In that sense, the Dream House is not just an artwork but a living, evolving environment—a physical manifestation of their artistic and philosophical vision.
The Mela Foundation’s Dream House is a disorienting experience that pushes the boundaries of what art can be. It’s not a space to simply "see," but to feel and to be felt by. Whether it provides clarity or overwhelms the senses, it demands full commitment, making it an unforgettable experience for anyone willing to engage with it.
I appreciate your careful consideration of space in the description of the work. I would love to see you expand more on the words like "neurological", "philosophical" and your interpretation of the "ethos of the time". Overall, I think your description is accurate and dynamic, but perhaps I would elaborate on some of the thoughts you presented and expand on why you chose some of the adjectives to describe it.
ReplyDeleteI greatly enjoy how you established such a strong sense of space in the introduction to the work. It helped me visualize not just the work itself but also how we, as viewers, might experience it in person. Perhaps consider adding how the space made you feel to encapsulate how participants may interact with this man-made space
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