Breanna Chin
10/3/2018
When I first found that we were visiting an installation, I thought that there was something we were supposed to be looking at. Something that was clearly artistic that people would come from miles to see. But when we arrived at Times Square and found this installation (which by the way, I had to search on the internet to confirm what it was), I was confused. All I could say was “Is that it?”. But I went along with the assignment anyways and experienced the installation. There’s no definitive way to “experience” something so I did what I thought was appropriate to experience this installation. I first looked at the grate on the floor and that turned out to not be very exciting. Then on stood on top of the grate and listened carefully. I heard a subway train pass underneath and I could feel the gush of wind as the train zipped by and I heard the screeching metal. I could even hear a little humming from the trains that were just going by and not stopping at this station. After looking, hearing, and feeling the installation, I was still a little disappointed. But then I looked up and took a moment to realize where I was and what I was doing. I was standing in one of the most visited places in the entire world, surrounded by a sea of strangers and noise, and I was just standing there observing a grate on the floor. I wasn’t trying to take pictures of Times Square or trying to figure out where I wanted to go next and how to get there. I was just taking a moment to stand still, breathe, and let my senses take in information instead of giving them info.
I then realized Neuhaus’ intentions, or at least a possible result of experiencing his piece. He might have realized that every person that steps into this square is overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds around them. In these moments, they are consumed in trying to absorb in as much as they can because they’ll never know when they will return. They want to experience as much as possible so that they can relate it to their friends and family. Because everyone is so consumed, they forget to take a moment to just calm down and breathe. This installation allowed me to realize that it’s the little things that we forget to notice but they can be so breathtakingly simple.
