I visited "We Could Be Heroes" in December when it opened. Three pieces in particular stood out to me. First, the animated "Book of Mormon" sketches: I thought the design for the exhibit itself was clever. The sofa, scattered coloring pages and TV provided the intimate feeling of a family living room. Juxtaposed with this cozy setting is the unsettling circus of violence on the television. The exhibit asks its viewers to consider the brutal nature of some gospel stories. I think the setting itself is the most creative part of the exhibit. A family living room is the perfect place to put these unsettling images. What greater way to reveal the mature and frightening themes in these stories then to make parents' worry about their children's innocence.
The second piece I felt captivated by was the Mario exhibit. Its viewers began to see Mario as a living individual and watched his vain attempts to move or have any control over his world. The dark room and the dull colors of the video cast Mario's plight in foreboding shadow. This exhibit was creative because it dropped a famous hero into a world without predictability or logic, and made its audience look at him as a person for the first time—a person that is no longer under their manipulation, whose entire existence depends upon the functionality of his game's programming, and who is totally lost in it if it stops working.
One last piece also deserves a mention. Dina Goldstein's "Fallen Princesses" ask what fairy tale women would look like if they were faced with a less than magical reality. Disney princesses have often been criticized for their hasty life choices. In Snow White's case, she marries a prince she hardly knows. The Snow White painting shows Disney's Snow White--recognizable by her movie outfit--weighed down with children. Prince is no help in the child-rearing; his theme tights have holes in them and he's watching horse racing with a beer in his hands. The moral of the story seems to be life isn't what it's cracked up to be--even if you're a princess.
I feel like we had a completely different experience at the museum. Most of the stuff you found most interesting I glanced over (rushing too quickly, to be sure), and never really cared for it. Perhaps it warrants a second visit. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe "Snowy" picture creates dissonance with the viewer, in my opinion. Although she is not surrounded by 7 dwarves, she has a husband, four kids, a dog and a messy room to take care of. There seems to be now control, no help from others, and her children literary are like children and tug on her. Fairytale meets reality.
ReplyDeleteI also thoroughly enjoyed the living room set up, there were shoes and toys and it was all set up so well. I think the inclusion of book of Mormon stories as mini cartoons was an interesting choice and makes commentary on how we raise kids in the gospel. We tend to gloss over the "bloody" parts of the book and I am sure if we didn't, we would be upset by allowing children talking about chopping people's arms off
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