Slow down on a contemplative walk through our expansive galleries
Did you know that the average time spent viewing a work of art is less than 30 seconds? What can you see, let alone comprehend, in that amount of time? How can we slow down to enjoy fuller, more vivid experiences of art and life? Try this slow-looking itinerary to take an unhurried look at MASS MoCA’s exhibitions to discover the meaning and messages contained in the art, and notice your own perspective.
Start your slow-looking experience by putting your phone away. Plan on going back through the museum after this tour to take photos. If you are visiting with friends or family, we encourage you to take this tour in silence and then meet afterwards to discuss. Before beginning your slow-looking exploration, settle into the museum experience by taking a few deep breaths. As you do so, observe any tensions in your body and release them.
STOP 1
RHAPSODY
Jimena
Sarno: Rhapsody | Building 4, floor 2
STAND OR SIT in front of the tables and large video installation in the main gallery space.
SLOWLY SCAN the gallery space from left to right, paying close attention to the video and the objects on the tables in front of it.
ASK YOURSELF: What is the video depicting? Is there a relationship between the video and the objects on the tables? What might it be? Note the vertical strips that compose the film and the horizontal positioning of the tables.
WALK towards the tables and select one object to look at closely.
LOOK at the object for at least one minute. What drew you to it? Can you identify the object, or how it was made? When you are ready to learn more about it, visit the labels on the wall to determine the artist, and read more about them in the gallery guide.
WALL DRAWING 138
Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective
Building 7, floor 1
FIND Wall Drawing 138 in the back left corner of Building 7, floor 1
SLOWLY SCAN the work with your eyes from top to bottom, left to right and diagonally. Walk closer to the wall to view the details, then further back to view the work in its entirety.
CONSIDER: What has changed in your perception after this careful viewing? What visual experiences can you describe? Did you notice any optical illusions or movement?
ASK YOURSELF: How was this wall drawing made by the draftsmen following Sol LeWitt’s simple instructions: Circles and arcs from the midpoints of four sides? What tools did they need to create this piece? To learn more about how these works were made, visit the vitrine and installation video located near the entrance to Buildings 7 and 8.
STOP 3
RAETHRO II (MAGENTA)
James Turrell: Into the Light | Building 6, floor 1
ENTER the gallery and take in the work as a whole. Then position yourself comfortably in front of the middle of the piece.
FOCUS on the work for at least two minutes without distractions. If your mind starts to wander, take note of it, and gently lead yourself back to your awareness of the installation.
SHARPEN YOUR FOCUS and try to better understand what you are seeing. Try standing up and walking from left to right in front of the piece in order to view it from different angles.
ASK YOURSELF: What exactly am I seeing? What illusion has the artist created in this piece, and why? How might it have been created?
CONSIDER how this piece, using the element of light, affects your perception of space and depth.
4
UNTITLED
Louise Bourgeois | Building 6, floor 2
WALK up to the sculpture and stand in front of it. Look at the work closely for one minute and take in the small details, as well as the work as a whole.
WALK SLOWLY around the sculpture so that you can view it from all angles. What do you notice? What do you wonder?
ASK YOURSELF: What shapes and forms are in this work? What textures? What is the artist trying to communicate to the viewer?
CONSIDER how you are feeling in this moment. Louise Bourgeois is known for incorporating psychological and biographical elements into her works, transforming her emotional life into physical form. What emotions are you experiencing while viewing this work?
STOP 5
SLOW RESPONSE I (DRAWINGS)
Roopa Vasudevan
Technologies of Relation | Building 6, floor 3
FIND Roopa Vasudevan’s works depicting QR codes in the exhibition.
WALK SLOWLY through the installation and look closely at each of the pieces. Take your time and select at least three of the drawings to compare and contrast.
CONSIDER: How are the drawings similar, and how are they different? What material did the artist use to create each one? What shapes did they use?
SELECT a few of the QR codes and, if you would like to do so, take out your phone and use your camera application to scan them. Do they take you to a website? Try this as many times as you would like. The series of web pages that some of the QR codes direct you to contain reflections written by the artist. How do these reflections connect to the artists’ works on display?
