The "pageantry" and "circus-like" qualities of contemporary American political life are being highlighted in a new series of large-scale installations and a cyclorama (a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform) of six to eight projections of new and existing film footage in "The Shape of Things" by Carrie Mae Weems. Weems addresses the turmoil of current events with 19th-century carnival-like created spectacle with dioramas based on spontaneous street memorials, peep shows and a Pepper’s Ghost. "The Shape of Things is an incisive, powerfully emotional, and critical reflection on events both deeply embedded in American culture and history and the explosive events of the past year," The Park Avenue Armory says.
Between Thursday and Saturday, December 9-11, you can see "LAND OF BROKEN DREAMS," a large-scale, multidisciplinary concert series that accompany these installations with a wide range of conversations, presentations, and performances featuring artists, poets, singers, dancers, thinkers, and scholars sharing work and exploring some of the most urgent issues facing society today.