Photopost: Institute of Contemporary Art

Since I always do things in a prompt manner, yesterday I made my first visit to the Institute of Contemporary Art since they moved from the Back Bay to their new building on the waterfront (which just happened in – OHMYGOD – 2006).  Getting there was not easy as the ceaseless construction of new high-rise buildings in the Seaport District put up many barriers.  But at last I arrived at the notably spiffy ICA building, cantilevered to overlook Boston Harbor.

Despite the large building, the galleries are a small portion of the building largely on the fourth floor.  This means that while I saw pretty much every piece of art on display, it’s probably worth returning for events, performances, films, and new exhibitions.

What I saw:

• Walid Raad – two exhibits.  Walkthrough, I couldn’t really get into but The Atlas Group was a fascinating examination of found images of the Lebanese civil wars presented as a fictional archival collection.
• Diane Simpson – sculptures based on clothing, reminiscent of Claes Oldenburg’s sculptures of ordinary objects.
• The Birthday Party – an immersive installation by three Iranian artists.
• ICA Collection: Transcending Material – my favorite pieces were in the permanent collection, some photos below.

I probably spent the longest amount of time in the Poss Family Mediatheque looking at the harbor and watching the 30-minutes of chain reactions in “The Way Things Go” by  Peter Fischli and David Weiss, a lesson in physics, chemistry, and film-making.

Selfie on the Harbor

A brick flag. Untitled, by Reena Spaulings (2005)

Wacky puns in sculpture. Jack Lemmon, by Rachel Harrison (2003). https://www.icaboston.org/art/rachel-harrison/jack-lemmon

Clover stamp wallpaper. Untitled, by Christopher Wool, 1987

A solid cube of straight pins. Untitled (Pins), by Tara Donovan (2003). https://www.icaboston.org/art/tara-donovan/untitled-pins

The window frames a changing work of art on the harbor in the Poss Family Mediatheque, which is cantilevered off the cantilever.

I walked these stairs to get to art. There’s also an elevator available.

Beer Review: Shock Top Twisted Pretzel Wheat

Beer:  Twisted Pretzel Wheat
Brewer: Shock Top Brewing Co (Anheuser-Busch)
Source:  12 oz. bottle
Rating: ** (6.9 of 10)
Comments: I’ve not enjoyed Shock Top beers (a craft-style wing of Anheuser-Busch) in the past but a friend highly recommends this beer so I thought I’d give it a try when I saw it at the store.  The beer does what it says on the label – it smells and tastes like a fresh-baked pretzel, with hints of salted caramel sweetness.  It’s a chestnut-brown, cloudy wheat beer with a foamy head.  The head evaporates quickly and leaves no lacing. The mouthfeel is thin.  It’s a quality a novelty beer.