Today at work I handled a file pertaining to a drawing done by Richard Serra.  Serra had actually filled out the object questionnaire form as requested by the museum (an artist actually doing this is rarer than you would think).  He wrote on the paper, he signed the paper, and I touched the paper.  Touched the paper that was touched by the man himself, ladies and gentlemen.

After work Theresa and I walked down a few blocks to see the Ernesto Neto installation, titled anthropodino, at the Park Avenue Armory.  The armory is very much an old boys club, and some of the fabulous old wood-panelled rooms with Tiffany glass and wrought iron and wood and tile detailing are in the process of being restored.  The Neto installation, which is in its last weekend so see it fast, is in a large cavernous warehouse looking thing which might have been used for drills or for tennis or for storing cannons I really have no idea.

The installation looks like a giant space creature, settled down on Park Avenue.  The piece was vaguely reminiscent of the giant blob alien from the first Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, which was called Encounter at Farpoint or maybe it was Fairpoint but you can google it if you are really interested and anyhow, there were blobby aliens involved and that is all that matters.  The piece looks like giant pantyhose stretched over giant wooden dinosaur bone pieces–like from those arts and crafts kits that were available at the store, but on a giant scale.  Some of the mesh is colored violet or red or yellow.  This main body is cavernous and full of tunnels and looks very much like a body.  Suspended both within this main form and from the ceiling around it are, for lack of a better description, giant stockings with masses hanging from the bottom.  The masses are actually spices and scents: cumin, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, violet, chamomile.  The entire room is filled with the mixture of these scents, and some of the suspensions take on the color of their spices–particularly those that hold bright yellow and orange curries.  Little “play areas” are located throughout the work, primarily for kids though I don’t think they’d turn adults away.  The place was crawling with children–the installation is extremely fun, sort of like a fun house/play ground but with smells and like, art, and stuff, and I think it is a clever way to introduce young children to art and to enable slightly older children to become interested in art.  Anyhow, enough description, here are a few pictures (the ones on the Armory site are pretty awesome too, check them out):

Overall very fun, despite or perhaps because of the children.  One of them even mistook Theresa for their mother–I guess he wasn’t paying attention?  There was also an adorable little girl who was wandering outside the “heart” area (all these terms are mine, by the way, don’t consider me an authority) dragging around a portable sack of spice.  Too cute.

Theresa and I left the Armory and parted ways: I, to the gym, Theresa back home.  I gymed, showered, cooked dinner, and then ventured out to the Lincoln Center realm of the city to see a movie with Phil at a nearby theater.  We saw Moon, starring Sam Rockwell, who I think is one of the most underrated actors of our time.  He was really wonderful.  Moon was also quite good, especially if you like trippy science fiction films.  Dad.  It took a fairly common trope of science fiction, the lone man isolated in space, and played with it in a surprising and subtle manner.  There was also a lovely talking computer named Gerty, voiced by Kevin Spacey, who made somehow managed to make emoticons a novelty.  I definitely recommend this film as a psychological curiosity and an example of good sci-fi.

Time for bed.  Getting up early tomorrow to see The Hangover (but not hungover, thank goodness) and then going to Big Apple BBQ at Madison Square Park!  Busy day, as usual.