Event 1: LACMA and Metropolis II

Metropolis II by Chris Burden

My ticket and receipt, Me at LACMA, and the front sign

My video of Metropolis II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUbqZo2Oa24&feature=youtu.be

I have always wanted to visit LACMA, and I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to come and enjoy the collections here. However, for the event blog I focused on one piece of art, Metropolis II. Metropolis II was built by Chris Burden and finished in 2011. Since then it has taken residency at LACMA. 

 Below is the official video for Metropolis II:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llacDdn5yIE

Metropolis II is essentially a mini city, since it is only about 20ft x 20ft x 8ft big. However, it houses all needed elements of a modern city: cars, buildings, monuments, bridges, homes, public transportation etc. The city's cars buzz around, creating a fairly loud sound, and they even have areas of high traffic, causing jams. This reminds me a lot of LA, in that there are many different buildings of different sizes, heights, and designs.

Metropolis II connects art and science very well. Chris Burden and his engineer were able to merge their minds in order to create a stunning piece of art using impeccable engineering and architecture. Similar to the robots that we learned about, Metropolis II moves on its own in a direction chosen by humans. Chris Burden imagined it as the future of cars, meaning that cars would go to 200-300 mph normally. It could be the future of LA, with its multi layered bridges and public transportation systems surrounding the buildings.

 "The noise, the continuous flow of the trains, and the speeding toy cars produce in the viewer the stress of living in a dynamic, active and bustling 21st century city."- Chris Burden

He has even created an element of familiarity for most LA residents because it shows the viewers how much stress we actually experience on a day to day basis. I thought it was amazing seeing the piece when it wasn't moving as well because it showed me how beautiful any city would be when it was turned off: all of the uniquely designed and built buildings, freeways, roads, and infrastructure all put to a halt.

Below is a fascinating article about Metropolis II and the science/engineering needed to create the mini city:

 http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664409/how-chris-burden-created-metropolis-ii-a-tiny-city-where-1100-toy-cars-zoom

In the article, he mentions how the cars were specially designed to handle the wear-and-tear of the piece being on display and that braking was one of the most difficult things to figure out, but after four years of working on the piece, they finally figured it out.

Here are some better, professionally taken photos of the event:


A more detailed picture of the cars in "traffic":




An overall view of Metropolis II:


Overall, if you have the opportunity to do it, I would suggest seeing Metropolis II. It is a very interesting and creative interpretation of a mini city and I liked it very much. :)



Bibliography:

 Burden, Chris. "Metropolis II by Chris Burden (the Movie)." YouTube. YouTube, 31 July 2011. Web. 30 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llacDdn5yIE>.
GULESSERIAN, Lisa. "The (Future) Image of Los Angeles: Chris Burden's "Metropolis II"" The (Future) Image of Los Angeles: Chris Burden's "Metropolis II" Viz., 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 31 July 2014. <http://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/content/future-image-los-angeles-chris-burdens-metropolis-ii>.
"Metropolis II." Los Angeles County Museum of Art. LACMA, 2011. Web. 31 July 2014. <http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/metropolis-ii>.
Pavlus, John. "How Chris Burden Created Metropolis II, A Tiny City Where 1,100 Toy Cars Zoom." Co.Design. Co. Design, 5 July 2011. Web. 30 July 2014. <http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664409/how-chris-burden-created-metropolis-ii-a-tiny-city-where-1100-toy-cars-zoom>.
Savvy, The Family. "Chris Burden's METROPOLIS II at LACMA." The Family Savvy. N.p., 2011. Web. 31 July 2014. <http://www.thefamilysavvy.com/2012/01/nothing-like-a-sneak-peek/>.