Currently on top of the roof at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is an installation made completely out of bamboo. Designed by identical twin artists the Starn Brothers, “Big Bambú: You Can’t, You Don’t, and You Won’t Stop” is a growing scaffolding-like exhibit up until October. Doug and Mike Starn have been working with rock climbers to lash bamboo poles together to create a jungle of bamboo on top of the museum. Throughout the summer the public will be able to witness its metamorphosis as the rock climbers with music continually add to the work until it forms a cresting wave covering an area 100 by 50 feet and soaring 50 feet above the roof.
Last weekend was my second time visiting the installation. As you step off the elevator on to the roof your completely transfixed by the massive structure and transported to some tropical island wonderland. You can walk in and out of it, under it and on it, however if you do want to walk on it the paths above are limited to guided groups of 10 to 15 people, twice an hour.
From any position I was in when I looked up there were these beautiful linear compositions framed by the brightest cerulean blue sky. From underneath, the labyrinth of poles cast the most awesome shadows which I almost thought the shadows were the coolest part of it all. Hey let me not forget to mention that view from up there! hello! you really can’t do much better then that. I always bring some lunch and a drink with me ( it’s a bit pricey up there) and just hang for a while taking it all in drifting away dreamily. The Met never ceases to be my favorite place on earth!
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