This past weekend, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), in North Adams, unveiled The Pipes, a monumental sculpture of 11 cylindrical concrete towers created by artist Taryn Simon in collaboration with architect Shohei Shigematsu, a partner in the New York office of OMA.
The work was first conceived as the set for An Occupation of Loss, Simon’s 2016 exhibition at New York’s Park Avenue Armory. There, the 42-foot-tall pipes, each eight feet in diameter and arranged in a semicircle, were activated by the laments and chants of professional mourners who traveled from Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Russia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. During 30-minute sessions, an audience of about 50 people was ushered into the Armory’s darkened drill hall where they were free to walk around and peer into the cylinders, experiencing the haunting sounds resonating within and emanating out of them.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.