7. The Shape of Things at Park Avenue Armory
Inside the Park Avenue Army, MacArthur Fellow Carrie Mae Weems will present The Shape of Things, a multidisciplinary installation that aims to use art as a lens to dissect and bring awareness to the political and social issues facing the world today. Located inside the Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall will be a series of multimedia installations and works of art from the past decade. For inspiration, Weems drew on 19th-century media, centering her work on what it means when the facades of our society are torn down and individuals are left to face the realities of their lives.
At the center of The Shape of Things is a large-scale video installation evoking a 19th-century cyclorama providing new film materials by Weems with original music by Jawwaad Taylor. In addition, the installation will feature a large-scale photographic memorial wall dedicated to victims of anti-Black violence, a “Pepper’s Ghost” illusion with music from Jason Moran — curator of the Armory’s Artistic Studio Series — and a sculpture highlighting 19th-century side-shows. The Shape of Things will remain up from December 2nd through December 31st.
