When: through January 7, 2018
There's a wild show up at SAAM, and each time you go, it will be different. It's a display of light art by Thomas Wilfred, basically colors and shapes in motion. Although you could watch some of the pieces from beginning to end, others take literally years to complete a loop, so no matter how often you visit or how long you stay, you'll never see the whole thing.
Wilfred started creating these pieces (for lack of a better word) in 1919, and people went to theaters to view them. I could not help but wonder, "Is this because they are mesmerizing works of art or because this was a new technology and they would watch anything, just to use it?" This is how I view most of 1950s television; people would watch plate-spinning because it was on TV, not because it was such gripping entertainment.
I'll say this, it's very conducive to meditation; you just watch the colors swirling, and pretty soon you feel calmer. I can see it working very well in office building lobbies. Note that, ironically, the space where the show is located is quite dark, so you might want to wait for your eyes to adjust before plunging in.
Verdict: It's intriguing in its own way; even if you're in the museum to see something else, it's worth walking through.
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