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Carsten Höller: Experience Turns the New Museum Into an Amusement Park
Like much contemporary art, Carsten Höller: Experience at the New Museum aims to make you see and experience ordinary things in a different way. With four floors of highly interactive installations by the German artist—including a two-story slide, a carousel and upside down goggles—the Carsten Höller exhibit will turn your kids' idea of a museum upside down, literally.
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Some parts of the exhibit are not for everyone. Giant Psycho Tank, where viewers strip naked and float in a sensory-deprivation tank, is for adults only. And to go down the slide or ride the carousel, you must be at least 48-inches tall. There is also a floor with a strobe light that can be a bit nauseating for those who are sensitive to it. Otherwise most of the exhibit is great for kids.
By far, my favorite part is the Upside Down Goggles, which can be borrowed from the lobby and worn throughout the exhibit. Not only do you get to look like a character from Star Trek, they also truly create a mind-bending experience as you try to navigate the world upside down.
I will leave it to the art critics to fight about where an amusement park show like this falls in the chronicles of art history, and what artistic significance it embodies. But one thing we can certainly learn from Carsten Höller's exhibit is that it brings in big crowds. Ever since it went on display, the New Museum has been packed every day, even on weekdays. If you want to even attempt to partake in the experiences without waiting on long lines, be sure to get there before noon.
Carsten Höller: Experience will certainly change your children's perspective on the contemporary art museum experience—from boring to fun.
Carsten Höller: Experience is on view through Sunday, January 22 (the third floor gallery is only open through Sunday, January 15) at the New Museum. $16 for adults, free for children under 16 (even though it doesn't say that on the admission page). Free to all on Thursday evening 7-9pm. Open Wednesday, Friday-Sunday 11am-6pm; Thursday 11am-9pm.
Read about other cool kid-friendly exhibits in our Museum Guide.
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