New modern art installation - London

[Didache]

Hi all - this morning I went along to the Tate Modern Art Museum in London to photograph a new installation. this is a seriously large-scale thing which is meant to represent a post-apocalyptic future. Two hundred bunk beds were set out, all containing an apocalyptic book (eg Fahrenheit 451, War of the Worlds, etc) - many visitors were sitting or even lying on the beds reading. Interspersed with this were large sculptures of everything from apple cores to huge spiders and, at one end, was a large screen showing clips from futuristic films. Whether or not you consider it "art", it was certainly interesting. I will definitely be going back.

Here are two images. What do you think?

Cheers
Mike

[gahspidy]

An interesting installation. Although I would have felt that cold steel and gray colored beds would better work the mood of the post apocolyptic setting, this looks like a promo for IKEA.
I think your compositions are good, as usual.
The only nit pik I have for the first shot is that the top of the apple lining up with the bottom edge of the screen loses a bit of depth. A bit higher or a bit lower would have tweaked the composition into one with a bit more depth.
I do feel from your descripion of the installation that a view of the hundreds of bunk beds lined up would be a good one as well.
Very good, Mike

[Frog]

They work for me, though, without your description, I wouldn't know the theme.
Didn't happen to notice if A Canticle for Leibowitz was one of the books did you?

[starriderrick]

Interesting ? Yes...Art. Oh yeah.That 1st image pulls me in, I can't help but to stop & wonder.Very strong composition, subject.Nice work Mike

Rick

[Overbeyond]

I'm not sure that these are working for me Mike but the harrowing look on the screen face is very strong. That apple looks more like an anchor that's been dropped from an apple tree of some description..
Is that John Prescott in Ikea? But it all seems interesting and I will have a word with the sponsor and see if she is interested in a trip up on Saturday/Sunday.

[LeeIs]

Hey Mike the 2nd image i really like. the only thing that throws it off is the vertical black structure. but it's very surreal. I would've thought it was a crazy place had u not shared the story with us. this place definitely deserves another visit.

[Didache]

Thanks all for your comments and encouragement. The Tate Modern (as it's known) is a former power station. These large scale installations are in what was the great turbine hall and are always an event. They do a new one roughly every year and it always gets lots of media coverage. They remain in place for quite a few months so there is time to revisit it as often as you like. The thing I like about them is that the visitors themselves become, in a sense, part of the art - in this case this is explicit by providing books and encouraging people to sit (or lie!) and read.

starderrick - The screen and apple core image doesn't print at all well - the slowish shutter speed makes the girl's face very textured. I quite like the person reading one though, and I have produced a cropped version which prints up very nicely. I'm reposting it here.

Leels - the black thing is one of the pillars - they are hard to avoid if you include the wall.

frog - I will look when I go again

Tom & Gary - you know, when I first went in I thought "I wonder if Ikea is sponsoring this"!

Cheers
Mike

[LeeIs]

like u, the 2nd is definitely an image that draws me in. Especially with the 1 book for every bunk-bed thingy going on. The crop i'm not sure about, i enjoyed the depth it had before when the subject was much futher away. and u lost one book in the process.

[Didache]

Leels - in an ideal world I would agree with you ... however, the original was very soft in the foreground (the point of focus was a few feet in front of the person). I know you can't see it here, but on a print it was very obviously soft. Hence the crop.

Cheers
Mike

[LeeIs]

ah ok bro. understood!

[Overbeyond]

Mike I think the second Prescott image here is far more striking than the first. i don't find the black door to be distracting.

[Greg McCary]

Nice work on them both Mike. Great colors and composition.