Wednesday, August 3, 2011

BMW Guggenheim Lab provided with 'contemporary urban life' case study during opening night party

[Photo by Bob Arihood]

Bob Arihood was outside the gates for last night's opening night party here for the BMW Guggenheim Lab. He has a whole photo sequence here.

Anyway, the photo above is something for the think tankers to discuss while finding "forward-thinking solutions for urban life."

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's pretty funny, some wise guy probably paid that dude to crash the party.

blue glass said...

great shots

like a day at the zoo

Anonymous said...

Some wise guy probably paid all those people to attend that party.

That's something to think about. Do those people in there even think? I don't think so.

Anonymous said...

I passed by the Lab this afternoon on the M15. I couldn't tell, but was there a bag check or something going on at the gate? I looked inside and saw it was empty, yet there was a long line of people wrapping around the corner all waiting to get in.

if there was a bag check, how come the masses have to endure one yet the elites who attended the lab and all the parties pre opening didn't get checked?

john penley said...

In my phone conversation with the person running this lab I suggested they do an exhibit of historical items from the squatter archive in Tamiment Library. They were not interested. I think we should do a Die Yuppie Scum street party outside on Saturday. Anyone interested ???

Stedman said...

I went to the "Blank City" screening last night because I wanted to see the film and check out what the Lab is about. I was put off by the snobby attitude of the staff. Like Anon 7:11 alluded, you get treated differently if you're not one of the art elite wearing $500 shoes. I don't understand why they built it in the East Village. The message they gave me last night was they don't care about the residents of the East Village. They're there to entertain and serve the privileged.

Anonymous said...

Dropped by to buy a cup of coffee there yesterday- (cover your ears kids: $5.00).

john penley said...

No comfort zone Let em eat cake Eat the rich street party Sat. Aug 6 at 8pm. Starts at the Economakis Mansion on East 3rd St and Second Ave. then goes to the BMW Guggenheim Lab for poetry by LES Jewels and music by TSP street musician Hank and others TBA then to the site of the Mars Bar for beer on the street and free Donald Cappocia BBQ. Yum Eat The Rich !!!! FREE THE LAND !!!!

rob said...

When they tried to recruit me -- with all kinds of money -- they mentioned that their target is international tourists. Yet they have the hypocrisy to call it a community center, seeking "urban solutions" from the community. Their urban solution is to erase the community.

When I explained to them why I wouldn't work with them they still didn't get it and they still haven't given up. They don't have a clue who we are, any more than they understand who they themselves are or what they do to their surroundings. They live in an insular world that constantly validates itself and congratulates itself, ignoring every reality that it steps on, steps over and ignores until they wash it away, into pristine cleanliness and safety.

They call their project "Confronting Comfort," comfort, the quintessential middle-class value. In talking to them they didn't understand that there's a trade-off between prioritizing comfort and prioritizing freedom, social control vs diversity. If urban solutions are going to be couched as "comfort" instead of freedom from social control, then the future is F$$Ked.

I'm with you, John! I think we should use their "Confronting Comfort" as a comfort station. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_station_%28rest%29