“There is a mental blackout which arrests your ability to think,” she says. The artist says the shock of the experience compares to birth, sudden death and sleep arrhythmia. Simon and Foradas both plan to participate, and performers will also activate the installation. Staging the project has so far involved around 100 museum staff and another 100 external consultants, including ice experts and local firefighters.Ī Cold Hole invites members of the public-who must be capable swimmers, in good health and over 18 years old-to sign up in advance for cold plunges, held daily throughout the show’s run, at unannounced times. More than 14 tonnes of ice and water will be used, requiring structural reinforcements in the basement below. A square hole, 5ft by 5ft, will be cut 9ft-deep into the floor to create a plunge pool, filled with salt water and kept at around 40✯ (4✬). ![]() Unsurprisingly, no institution has attempted this before, though it is “the kind of challenge we get really excited about at Mass Moca”, Foradas says.Ī smooth layer of ice will be laid on the floor of a 40ft-by-22ft space and covered with ice chips by Simon and her team, to resemble the uneven surface of a natural frozen lake. The piece evokes cleansing or spiritual rituals where people jump through a hole in a frozen lake. ![]() ![]() Enthusiasm, delight and “how are you going to do that?”: these are common reactions to Taryn Simon’s planned commission at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass Moca) in North Adams, says its curator, Allie Foradas.Ī Cold Hole, the US artist’s new performance and installation, due to launch on 26 May as part of a major solo show (until March 2019), will plunge museum visitors into icy water.
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