My Response

This piece is bold; it loudly marks its presence with an eerie, hypnotic stare. Its bright neon colors overwhelm the senses, and its words pulsate to a pounding rhythm that is only overshadowed in its ability to cause discomfort by the buzz of the neon lights. The ‘good life’ spiral with its vibrant, fun colors insists that everyone is having a good life and having fun, but the circular pattern in which the words turn on and off and the repetitive nature of the phrases makes this message feel mechanical and indoctrinating. After watching this exhibit, I am left with the feeling that everything is all but good and fun. It reminded me of the cursed theme park in the movie Pinocchio in which boys are lured by the promise of fun only to be transformed into donkeys and sold. The left spiral’s antonyms seem to highlight the idea of a dichotomy between the fantasy that the spirals attempt to sell and reality. The on-and-off lighting of the phrases creates a contrast that conveys the physical and symbolic difference between light and dark. I do not like this piece because I succumb to the effects it aims to express.