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[title]Ever since the scaffolding came off The Broad Museum late last year, we have to admit—we've been very curious to see the inside of LA's newest museum. Over the weekend, we got our chance, along with the most curious, quick-clicking early-bird art enthusiasts in the city. The museum's expansive third-floor gallery opened for two art installations: a Los Angeles soundscape by BJ Nilsen and an after-dark light activation from Yann Novak. The event, "Sky-lit: Volume, Light, and Sound at the Broad" was announced Feb. 5 and about 24 hours later, tickets went on sale for timed entries. No surprise, tickets were snapped up shortly thereafter. Our curiousity only grew.
When we arrived at the museum around 3pm Saturday, we found out what people do in museums when there's no art to be seen (spoiler alert: so many selfies). During the daylight hours, people milled around the vast, light-filled space, phones in hand. Nilsen's soundscape drifted out from speakers, but it was mostly lost in the din of delighted guests except for a couple highly familiar sounds: a helicopter's chop, the "doors closing" chime of the Metro. Some guests methodically visited every speaker in the huge space; most of the other guests studiously documented the scenes—Walt Disney Concert Hall through the museum's porous skylights, the olive tree grove below, the slew of selfies. (Did we mention people were taking lots of selfies?)
Once the sun set, Novak's light installation filled the solid, skylight-free wall of the gallery, and so did shadow puppets and silhouettes. The scene begged the question: is a shadow selfie still a selfie? Or does it deserve its own hashtag?