My Space

Opening tomorrow, Friday, August 29, at 1:00 p.m. (with a concert at 2:00 p.m. by Ultraviolet Alter) is an installation at LEA24 by Betty Tureaud entitled My Space. At the landing point, flying saucer-like shapes rise from pyramids, and it's possible to catch a ride on one (provided you're wearing the Rocket Hat, available from the central pyramid) up and up and up to the top, where you can in turn grab a parachute and drop down back to the bottom. Between the top and bottom levels are various cylindrical shapes and platforms, nearly all employing Betty's trademark bright cheerful colors (although I was quite encouraged to see something in gray!).

There's an old, corny joke in the classical music world that Antonio Vivaldi wrote the same concerto 500 times: generally, one can listen for a few moments and immediately recognize the composer, but not be sure which work one is hearing. To me, that's a bit like encountering one of Betty's installations. Perhaps it seems a harsh analogy, but then again Vivaldi was unquestionably an extraordinary composer, and always one whose works merit hearing. (You can't knock Vivaldi.) Betty's works are at their best as social settings — that is, there is something about them that invites us to enjoy in and with a crowd, so the opening will be an optimal time to explore. Betty tells me that she'll probably create some additional installations during her residency at LEA24, which she has through the end of December.