Usually the tips on events from Nonsense NYC's weekly emails are reliable. Even the worst of Nonsense's listed events are usually pretty good because they're usually pretty weird. This was not one of those. This was one of those events I've walked in to and immediately walked out of. A couple of people sat or stood on plywood boxes and pretended to be doing stuff like reading books or brushing their hair.
It was stupid. And not so stupid that it's smart either, which is really what I was hoping for. Not a hint of wit, not even a shred of cynicsm. It was just stupid.
The one thing I did appreciate was that the people on display weren't as beautiful as defined by our common cultural standards of beauty. But I don't get that this was the intent. I just got that these were the best models the artists could afford for the evening. Here's how they described it:
Imagined and produced by Lilly & Tanner, the Museum of Beautiful People is a live gallery of beautiful people, standing before you, ready for your gaze.
Look as much as you'd like. Stay as long as you wish.
You may be too polite to stare while on the train or at a party, but here is the place to look for as long as you like. Here is the place to admire your fellow human as a beautiful object. Here is the place to savor every detail, every nuance of the beautiful human surface. Enjoy.
We already spend every day of our lives objectifying other humans. We don't need a special place and time for this. I walked past building-size billboards with models in their underwear on my way here.
If we're really going to objectify, to savor every detail of the human surface, these people being exhibited should not be wearing clothes and there should be better lighting and I should have been given a magnifying glass. What reality are Lilly and Tanner living in? Who are they?
About the organizers:
Lilly and Tanner are NYC-based artists who understand that fun isn't easy.
OK. Just... nevermind.