Hyphenate David Byrne is at it again. The former leader of Talking Heads has just mounted a diverting, inspired installation underneath the High Line. Aptly titled Tight Spot, the work is a whimsical, inflated globe with an accompanying audio component of rumbling noises consisting of the artist's voice recorded and then electronically altered beyond recognition. The piece is also wedged next to the newly relocated Pace Gallery, which is slated for expansion in the very eastward direction of Byrne's temporary installation, itself scheduled to remain on view through Oct. 1. Pace has planned for their expansion to begin immediately following the dismounting of Tight Spot.
In signature Byrne style, he has taken a challenge, in this case the prospect of a seemingly static outdoor space, and imbued it with audio and visual components which are initially familiar (the primary school globe, the humming of a human voice) and abstracted both to possess both wit and tension.
The globe is at once reminiscent of a wayward party balloon and a cramped subway commuter, with the low notes of the audio recording lending the work a sense of mystery and even otherworldliness. Without the audio component, the work might seem somewhat static, yet the incongruity of such a fat globe so premeditatedly shoved in place underneath the High Line is inherently disconcerting and fascinating as a purely visual experience.
Byrne's previous New York public installation, 2008's Playing the Building, was mounted in the Battery Maritime Building, located adjacent to the Staten Island ferry station in Lower Manhattan. That work, sponsored by Creative Time, was interactive, with various surfaces in the building wired with electronic wires to create sounds in response to touch.
I did not manage to experience Playing the Building, but am pleased I got to see Tight Spot, an optimal prelude to a stroll on the upstairs High Line boulevard. If the rumbling globe gets you thinking of your own rumbling stomach, there is a darling ice cream sandwich vendor with exotic flavors like red velvet.
(Tight Spot is @ 25th St. between 10th and 11th Aves until Oct 1. Tue-Sat, 10AM-6PM)
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