Hear/Say

Yesterday we tried to go to the aquarium but it was closed in 2007. Thanks for not closing down your actual website, I totally thought we were on candid camera, or the sweaty butt of some secret joke. Just stung, because I was looking forward to the giant pillar of piranhas—the water rushes in at the top at the cylinder-column-shaped tank, so the piranhas up there are practically leaping with grim joy, but gradually and towards the bottom they slow down until they’re simply… suspended… in time, and horrific ugliness. I love it.

We ended up just wandering around the metro malls to avoid the heat—and while we were at the Taipei Main Station, we visited MOCA, the Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art.  They had Tim Yip’s (he directed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) “Summer Holiday” exhibit up.

Half of the museum surrounded the mysterious story of a mannequin girl that was found realistically dead in a hotel room, on the streets dressed like a prostitute, and in jail looking kick-ass. It definitely felt like contemporary art—the meaning was pretty much lost on me. The second part of the museum was much more interesting: entire corridors papered in black and done up like a haunted house, with the rooms dressed and accessorized as if this mysterious girl lived in it.

Concluding with giant knocked-down mannequins and a nonsensically artistic short film:

Personally thought the fine arts museum was way cooler.Then again, this museum was ti-ny and featured only one artist…

Graceee