My First Day of Unemployment

I struggled to get out of my bed as normal even though it wasn't for work. As a result, I didn't get to eat a proper breakfast (you'll see why this is important later) as I rushed to leave my house in time to get to the Hirshhorn museum in time for my 10:00 entry into the Yayoi Kusama Infinite Mirrors exhibit. As I was running to make it to the museum before 9:45 aka the latest I was supposed to arrive according to my ticket (people definitely showed up after 9:45 though and it wasn't a big deal), I immediately regretted choosing such an early entry time.

It's amazing how long the line was for a same-day walk-up timed pass.

Because we were the first entry group of the day (which I didn't consciously realize when I signed up for a ticket), the lines for the five mirror rooms were super short, so I definitely recommend getting a 10:00 a.m. ticket (definitely don't regret choosing such an early entry time now). Staff members recommended seeing the mirror rooms first before viewing the other collections, but some people were not smart and did not listen lol.

The first mirror room: I didn't realize that these rooms were tiny and only fit 2-3 people at a time. I thought they were actual house-sized rooms even though I've been to the Hirshhorn before, and this wouldn't make any logical sense at all. The mirrors make the room appear a lot bigger than they are in photographs, which is the artist's intent duh lol This image is actually a screenshot of a video I took inside the room. You only get 20-30 seconds in each room, which is definitely not enough time to appreciate the work in addition to recording the moment.

The second room: This is also from a screenshot of a video I took. The selfie I took was blurry and obscured by two strangers-the disadvantage of being single-having to experience the exhibit with strangers. Clearly, I haven't gotten the hang of taking a good picture in 30 seconds. I think this picture is fitting though because of the cell phone smack dab in the middle: taking a picture of the exhibit and sharing it is part of the experience. There's an excellent New York Times article about this.

The third room: I got to enter this room alone because there wasn't a line-hence, better quality pictures.

This wasn't in the room but was one of the two peep holes in the exhibit. 

The fourth room: This is when I realized the staff has to repeat the viewing instructions for every group who enters. Imagine saying the same thing over and over again every 30 seconds for eight hours. I have mad respect for the Hirshhorn museum employees. I auto-enhanced almost all of these pictures on iPhoto, but the changes are most pronounced in this photo, which is why I've chosen to post the original picture. 

The fifth and final room: I think I was the only person in line for this room, and again, I got to enter alone, so I had so much time in here that I even struck up a conversation with the staff member who accompanied me inside the room. The topic of conversation: how someone broke one of the pumpkins and hence why visitors can't be trusted alone in this room. 

It's so much easier taking pictures when no one else is in the room. Being single is definitely an advantage when going to crowded/over populated places-once the lines got longer, staffers were asking if there were any singles to join a group or another single ahead in line. I think this advantage beats having to experience the exhibit with strangers. My metro wait was longer than any wait I had to do inside the Hirshhorn. I did have to pay $21 for parking though because it was a weekday. It would have been more economically efficient to Uber-note taken for next time.

The description does not align with the piece of work, but this is Kusama's "Notice of Approval of VISA petition..." I think this was pretty important given Trump's recent attempts at banning immigration. It's also pretty cool to see people lining up by the hundreds to see an Asian woman's work.

Last but not least, The Obliteration Room: you can't renter the exhibit once you enter this room. 

No one ever shares the art description, but I think it's important to look at a piece of art beyond its face value especially when it's already there and you don't have to figure it out for yourself, which I think is dumb by the way. 

Overall, I loved this exhibit and the messages behind each of her pieces."Anatomic explosions [truly are] are better than atomic explosions." 

And oh, I got a headache because I didn't eat enough. I'll write more about my day in another post/Youtube video.