Hasta La Ideas

I’m a huge fan of Swoon’s beautifully rendered, wheatpasted prints and cutouts that still haunt the streets of New York. The artist studied painting at Pratt and although she is labelled a “street artist,” her work has been shown in fine art spaces around the world including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Deitch Gallery and now the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Earlier this month, the artist unveiled “Thalassa,” (above) a new, large-scale, site-specific installation for the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Great Hall. Inspired by the Greek goddess of the sea, “Thalassa” is a 20-foot tall reinforced linocut enhanced with prints and paper cutouts. The deity’s body is comprised of colorful swatches of fabric and aquatic creatures.

Now, plans are underway for Swoon’s newest tribute to New Orleans, “Dithyrambalina,” a permanent, interactive, musical sculpture for the Bywater neighborhood in New Orleans. Taking salvaged remains from a “decrepit Creole Cottage,” the artist called on local and national sound artist to create interactive instruments that can be built into the walls and floorboards of the house. Visitors will be able to “bring the house to life through their touch,” with singing walls, organ floorboards, and percussion triggered by the human heartbeat.

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