mixed media

May 10 - July 31, 2003

located in the atrium at
590 Madison Avenue at 56th Street

The glass atrium of 590 Madison Avenue took on an otherworldly atmosphere with the installation of Mariko Mori's Wave UFO, a stunning sculptural object and viewer participatory installation that epitomizes Mariko Mori's ongoing exploration of the relationship between the individual and an interconnected cosmos.

Wave UFO fused real-time computer graphics, brainwave technology, sound, and state-of-the-art architectural engineering to create a dynamic interactive experience. The connection between technology and spirituality was effected here through the use of specially designed computer programs and scientific equipment that monitored and visually interpreted participants' brainwaves.

Drawing upon the Buddhist principle that all forms of life in the universe are interconnected, Wave UFO seamlessly united actual individual physical experience with Mori's singular vision of a cosmic dream world. Within the tranquil interior of the work, Mori sent participants, three at a time, on an aesthetic voyage that sought to connect three individuals to each other and to the world at large.

Artist Bio
Mariko Mori, born in Tokyo, was educated at the Chelsea College of Art, London (1989-92) and participated in the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program. She has had recent solo exhibitions and installations at Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Centre Georges Ponpidou, Paris; Prada Foundation, Milan; The Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, The Serpentine Gallery, London; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and Deitch Projects, New York.

Sponsorship
This exhibition of Mariko Mori's Wave UFO was sponsored by Bloomberg. Additional support was provided by Melissa and Robert Soros.

Special thanks to Edward J. Minskoff Equities, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Deitch Projects, and Marco Della Torre. Additional project support provided by Shiseido Co., LTD, Technogel, Lechler, and Zumtobel Staff, The Light.

Location
Wave UFO was located in the atrium at 590 Madison Avenue at 56th Street.