An Enchanted Electric Rainforest at the New MoMA

There’s a lot to see at the new Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. We’re sharing what we saw on our first visit after the museum reopened in fall 2019 after a major expansion, one exhibit at a time. After seeing Betye Saar: The Legends of Black Girl’s Window, we discovered an enchanted electric rain forest of sound – a cool and playful installation at the new MoMA – David Tudor’s Rainforest V (variation 1).

Among the many new spaces at MoMA New York is The Studio. The modular space  – which boasts floor-to-ceiling views of West 53rd Street – will host live events: performances, screenings, residencies and more. It makes it debut, though, with an immersive and playful sound installation called Rainforest V (variation 1).

We caught a glimpse of this work from two floors above as we were exploring the new MoMA. There is glass and open flooring everywhere in the massive museum, so we could see bright objects, what appeared to be a solar system, and lots of laughing people.

After that tease, our curiosity wouldn’t let us rest until we investigated further. Here’s what we found.

what is Rainforest V (variation 1)?

Rainforest V (variation 1) (1973–2015), conceived by the late David Tudor and realized by Composers Inside Electronics Inc., is a sound installation constructed from everyday objects, about 20 in all. A metal barrel. A vintage computer hard disc. Plastic tubing. That sort of thing. Each object is fitted with sonic transducers and suspended in space to increase their resonance.

The curator’s notes explain that the idea behind this exhibit is that the seemingly random group of objects “echoes the diversity of flora and fauna in the natural world, breathing and reverberating in constant commotion—a forest of sound.”

What may not come through in the museum’s description is the pure fun that visitors have as they come across this particular installation. In a temple of high art, here is a playground of tactile and auditory interaction that is open to all. From small children to curious adults, this is a place to touch, listen, and — dare we say – frolic. 

It’s a little oasis of simple pleasure in the midst of an overwhelming cacophony of stimulation throughout the new MoMA. If you visit with little ones, definitely make this one of your early stops.

what were the prior Rainforests like?

The curator’s notes for the MoMA report that Tudor’s first Rainforest, from 1968, served as the musical score for choreographer Merce Cunningham’s dance of the same name. In 1973, Tudor expanded the work from a musical composition to a performance installation titled Rainforest IV. Composer Gordon Mumma described their collective artistic process as “a garden of shared ideas with minimal fences.”

This last evolution of the work, Rainforest V (variation 1), transforms an installation once activated by performers into a rich visual environment animated by a computer program.

Look

Even though this is a sound installation, what first captured our attention was the way it looks.

There are geometric shapes of all kinds suspended in midair.

The circles and spirals create lovely vignettes as people interact with them.

If you love color (and we really do) you’ll also be entranced by the vibrant hues of some of the found objects.

A thousand Instagram posts will surely be launched by this “solar system” of found objects at the center of the installation.

The backdrop of the city becomes a key part of the experience of this installation because of the magnificent windows. On the day we went, it was a rainy grey November afternoon, and the subdued glossy grey of the city made the pops of color on display even more magnetic.

The windows are a powerful lure in and of themselves, and they have an added bonus. As the New York Times critic noted, “If you walk up to the windows and look back toward the galleries, you’ll see Rainforest juxtaposed with views of artworks from the fourth and fifth floors, as if the museum were inviting a conversation among all of them.”

Listen

Of course, the idea here is to listen to the sounds of the electric forest. Which means releasing all of your inhibitions and going for it. The sounds change and intensify as people approach them – one reviewer described the effect of listening to each object as like holding a seashell to your ear to hear the sound of the ocean.

So go ahead and put your head into a steel drum.

Or a large metal bell.

Have a close encounter with a plastic water bottle.

Reflect

Where do the sounds take you? What memories do they bring? For each of us, the answers will be different. It’s a wonderful way to bring a visit to a museum roaring to life.

The sound installation will be in place at MoMA New York through January 5, 2020. If you want to go even deeper, make time to see Tudor’s rarely performed Forest Speech (1978/79) in this space at the MoMA live on November 14, 16, and 17; and again on December 12, 14, and 15, 2019.

Rainforest V (variation 1) is a delightful addition to an otherwise serious mix of contemporary and modern art at the new MoMA. And its playful spirit will stay with you long after you’ve left the enchanted electric forest.

join our community

For access to insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier newsletter here. And see luxury in a new light.

Forward This Article