When I first visited the "Dream House" installation I didn't know what to expect. Having little experience with minimalist composers, it wasn't until recently that I came in contact with La Monte Young's body of work.
The current restaging of the famous sound-and-light installation by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela, a work whose origins date to the 1960s, was made in cooperation with the couple’s disciple, Jung Hee Choi, and it provides the visitors of Church Street with the opportunity to immerse themselves in an experience that transports them far away from the loud and busy New York City life.
"Dream House" is magical. Be it the subversive fact that you are asked to walk barefoot upon entering the space, or the strange, even mystical environment that the unfamiliar sounds create, but visitors appear to be fully present when they are there. Deeply introspective, "Dream House" provides us with the idea space to meditate and focus on ourselves, our thinking, our senses.
The transition from the hard black carpet that surrounded the entrance and the soft, beige carpet that covered the floor of the rest of the room was astounding. Something as simple as a carpeting choice suddenly became substantial, important. The experience of "Dream House" encompasses our entire bodies, starting from our bare feet and moving upwards, until it reaches our ears and eyes.
When creating the original "Dream House" in the 1950s, La Monte Young said, “I saw the advantage of having a place where you didn’t have to think about where you’re going to be next,” which led to “the concept of a place where sound and light could evolve over time and musicians would have a permanent place to play and people could experience music through repeated visits over years.” "Dream House" is truly thrilling and mesmerizing. The gallery space is dimly lit, and upon entering you are immediately enveloped by the powerful composition that overwhelms the atmosphere.
The ethereal play of shadow and light, blue and red light in particular, is orchestrated by Marian Zazeela, and the cooperative affect of sound and light is astounding. It gave me the soothing feeling of being far away from the city. This relaxation mimicked a return to the womb; Young and Zazeela have managed to create the impossible: a space within a space, that allows you to be free. The space offered me a sense of security and safety where anything is possible.
"Dream House" is a safe space for meditation and introspection, with the composition of Young and Choi encompassing all of our senses, where the light is transformed into sound and the experience becomes holistic and empowering.
I sincerely hope that the "Dream House" will continue to have a home. Everyone who lives in New York City needs a dream house every once in awhile.
