Doug Aitken: Song 1

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[All photos by John Hill]

Thanks to the AIA, Doug Aitken's Song 1 installation on the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. was extended to May 20 for conventioneers and others interested in the filmic facade.The multimedia piece is similar to, but more architecturally engaging than his 2007 Sleepwalkers at MoMA. The song of the title is "I Only Have Eyes for You," a doo-wop number written in 1934. The song gets stuck in the head, even though Aitken cuts the song up across the installation's 35 minutes, morphing it with electronic music, ambient noise, and other sounds. The piece is as much an aural accomplishment as a visual one. Photos from my visit are below, and at bottom is a clip of Song 1 made by the artist.

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Comments

  1. This was a lovely lovely show. I hope that hirshorn decides to continue this installation for years to come. As a DC native, I truly believe it would prove to be a staple in the tourist attractions of our Nation's Capital, and something to truly look forward to each spring or summer. Was definitely sad to see it go.

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  2. This is a brilliant way to combine two major arts. Hopefully, they will decide to continue this "production". if ever in the D.C. area, I would love to see it.

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