Fascination With the Void
August 20, 2018 1:33 PM Subscribe
A Man Fell Into Anish Kapoor’s Installation of a Bottomless Pit at a Portugal Museum.
Kapooreviously
Bonus: Szyrk V. Village of Tatamount Et Al. (sadly behind the New Yorker's paywall, though you can squint at the proof here.)
Kapooreviously
Bonus: Szyrk V. Village of Tatamount Et Al. (sadly behind the New Yorker's paywall, though you can squint at the proof here.)
Is it painted with vantablack? That would be cool to see.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:37 PM on August 20, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:37 PM on August 20, 2018 [17 favorites]
Now, it has also caused someone to fall into an eight-foot pit
"Bottomless"???
posted by eustacescrubb at 1:38 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
"Bottomless"???
posted by eustacescrubb at 1:38 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Also:
so that it at first appears solid, hiding its true depths
somebody literally fell for the optical illusion.
posted by eustacescrubb at 1:39 PM on August 20, 2018 [25 favorites]
so that it at first appears solid, hiding its true depths
somebody literally fell for the optical illusion.
posted by eustacescrubb at 1:39 PM on August 20, 2018 [25 favorites]
There's something very Looney Toons about this.
posted by lollymccatburglar at 1:43 PM on August 20, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by lollymccatburglar at 1:43 PM on August 20, 2018 [26 favorites]
I was legit terrified by my first encounter with the concept of a bottomless pit, which must have been when I was about 5.
posted by thelonius at 1:49 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 1:49 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well there’ll be a cord NOW, that fucker.
posted by Artw at 1:49 PM on August 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:49 PM on August 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
This is not a bottomless pit, it's an oubliette. If the artist had been truly faithful to his art the man should have been left in there.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 1:52 PM on August 20, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 1:52 PM on August 20, 2018 [37 favorites]
Is it painted with vantablack?
I've been trying to figure that out... None of the reporting is clear on it. The original installation of this piece was in '92, which would have been well before the creation of Vantablack.
posted by mr_roboto at 1:52 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've been trying to figure that out... None of the reporting is clear on it. The original installation of this piece was in '92, which would have been well before the creation of Vantablack.
posted by mr_roboto at 1:52 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
I mean, this is the kind of thing that happens to me on the regular, so I'm kind of sympathetic to the guy. They need a cord.
posted by emjaybee at 1:52 PM on August 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by emjaybee at 1:52 PM on August 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
no, they need to put it in the ceiling so no one will fall into it
posted by pyramid termite at 1:53 PM on August 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 1:53 PM on August 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
This is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film The Neverending Story.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:59 PM on August 20, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:59 PM on August 20, 2018 [24 favorites]
no, they need to put it in the ceiling so no one will fall into it
But a topless pit is a whole different kind of attraction.
posted by a halcyon day at 2:01 PM on August 20, 2018 [25 favorites]
But a topless pit is a whole different kind of attraction.
posted by a halcyon day at 2:01 PM on August 20, 2018 [25 favorites]
Oh, cripes. The poor dude had to go to the hospital, so I know I shouldn't laugh, but the first few lines of that article had me in stitches: "Anish Kapoor’s fascination with the void has led him to create some of his best-known works. Now, it has also caused someone to fall into an eight-foot pit."
(And if you were wondering, "What does Stuart Semple have to say about all this?")
posted by merriment at 2:07 PM on August 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
(And if you were wondering, "What does Stuart Semple have to say about all this?")
posted by merriment at 2:07 PM on August 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
Is it painted with vantablack? That would be cool to see.
Or, rather, not see.
posted by rp at 2:07 PM on August 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
When you fall into the abyss, so too shall the abyss fall into you.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:07 PM on August 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:07 PM on August 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
FTA: "The exhibition had displayed warning signs and a staff member was manning the room when the man fell, as per established security protocols. “The visitor has already left the hospital and he is recovering well,” Pereira added.
So: He was warned, and he's gonna be ok.
I do recall visiting various attractions in Europe and thinking "If this were back in the States, there would be a rope/fence/glass wall/etc. separating me from some fantastic thing. I thank the less litigious parts of the world for getting to get closer to cool stuff.
posted by gwint at 2:11 PM on August 20, 2018 [12 favorites]
So: He was warned, and he's gonna be ok.
I do recall visiting various attractions in Europe and thinking "If this were back in the States, there would be a rope/fence/glass wall/etc. separating me from some fantastic thing. I thank the less litigious parts of the world for getting to get closer to cool stuff.
posted by gwint at 2:11 PM on August 20, 2018 [12 favorites]
Avoid the Void
posted by Kabanos at 2:12 PM on August 20, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Kabanos at 2:12 PM on August 20, 2018 [15 favorites]
I want to sleep in that abyss.
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:19 PM on August 20, 2018
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:19 PM on August 20, 2018
Did this void have a warranty?
posted by doctornemo at 2:19 PM on August 20, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by doctornemo at 2:19 PM on August 20, 2018 [22 favorites]
Thelonious! That was my first encounter with the bottomless pit thing as well! And nowadays all anybody has to say to me is "Mariana Trench" to throw me into a state of the total willies.
posted by Wylie Kyoto at 2:21 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Wylie Kyoto at 2:21 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
I do recall visiting various attractions in Europe and thinking "If this were back in the States, there would be a rope/fence/glass wall/etc. separating me from some fantastic thing. I thank the less litigious parts of the world for getting to get closer to cool stuff.
You should visit Heli Lounge Bar if you ever find yourself in Kuala Lumpur. It's a (fairly mediocre) bar on the helipad on the roof of a 30-something storey tower. Nice view of the nearby Petronas Towers; no railing.
When I visited, they didn't even have the rope running around - just bouncers who were supposed to intercept any drunk patrons who got lost on the way to the bathroom.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 2:22 PM on August 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
You should visit Heli Lounge Bar if you ever find yourself in Kuala Lumpur. It's a (fairly mediocre) bar on the helipad on the roof of a 30-something storey tower. Nice view of the nearby Petronas Towers; no railing.
When I visited, they didn't even have the rope running around - just bouncers who were supposed to intercept any drunk patrons who got lost on the way to the bathroom.
posted by chappell, ambrose at 2:22 PM on August 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
You see a flat, featureless black circle on the ground that people claim is actually a pit of some kind. I can see why someone would want to test that out although I would throw something onto it instead of actually stepping on the circle myself.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:23 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:23 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
I wonder how much trash was at the bottom, because human nature guarantees that if you make a hole people will throw stuff in it.
posted by Pyry at 2:23 PM on August 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Pyry at 2:23 PM on August 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
It's like you could see into my soul.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:24 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:24 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
I went snorkeling in the Atlantic while sailing from Bermuda to NY. Looking down, all I could see were rays of light converging in the blue void. It is the only time I've had legit vertigo. I also felt extraordinarily small.
posted by grumpybear69 at 2:30 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 2:30 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
You see a flat, featureless black circle on the ground that people claim is actually a pit of some kind.
YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL ALIKE.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:36 PM on August 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
YOU ARE IN A MAZE OF TWISTY LITTLE PASSAGES, ALL ALIKE.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:36 PM on August 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
(And if you were wondering, "What does Stuart Semple have to say about all this?")
I actually was (vaguely) wondering. Telepathic content curation like this is why I come to MetaFilter!
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 2:41 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
I actually was (vaguely) wondering. Telepathic content curation like this is why I come to MetaFilter!
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 2:41 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
god i was hoping he would open a better more bottomless pit that kapoor was forbidden to fall into
posted by poffin boffin at 2:49 PM on August 20, 2018 [39 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 2:49 PM on August 20, 2018 [39 favorites]
All I want is for Stuart Semple to sneak in and toss some Pinkest Pink paint into the hole.
posted by jeather at 2:50 PM on August 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by jeather at 2:50 PM on August 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Hi there, previous gallery attendant here, and I just want to drop some truth. Now, I know everybody on the Blue is highly intelligent and would always follow instructions. But! You would be surprised at how many people do not fit that description. And find themselves in a gallery. I've even worked in galleries where they had a roped-off hole with attendants saying 'hey, don't fall down that hole' (or something similar) and people managed to fall down the hole. This is just a thing that happens, so I suspect for everybody that worked in a museum, gallery, or exhibition space, this article is going to bring up a whole range of 'remember that time that a member of the public did x, y, and z'.
Of course, most galleries just have paintings. And you've probably looked at those paintings, and thought, yeah, that looks nice. Some people look at those paintings and think, hey, I bet I could slap that priceless canvas like a drum and it would make a cool noise. This is actually a surprisingly large number of people, and yet you probably won't see a sign that says 'don't slap this painting like a drum' because there's another group of people who feel obliged to do exactly the opposite of whatever the sign says.
Finally, there's the people who have been dragged to the museum because Goddamnit We Are Going To Have Fun And Museums Are Fun, It Says So In This Guidebook, who are bored stiff by the experience and find themselves tired from wandering through really boring rooms for a few hours. These people are basically sleepwalking through an obstacle course filled with multi-million euro obstacles. Yes, people regularly fall over the barriers and onto a painting, or lean on a sculpture. People rarely fall down big holes, but that's usually because big holes are not so much on display. When they are on display, however...
posted by The River Ivel at 3:01 PM on August 20, 2018 [96 favorites]
Of course, most galleries just have paintings. And you've probably looked at those paintings, and thought, yeah, that looks nice. Some people look at those paintings and think, hey, I bet I could slap that priceless canvas like a drum and it would make a cool noise. This is actually a surprisingly large number of people, and yet you probably won't see a sign that says 'don't slap this painting like a drum' because there's another group of people who feel obliged to do exactly the opposite of whatever the sign says.
Finally, there's the people who have been dragged to the museum because Goddamnit We Are Going To Have Fun And Museums Are Fun, It Says So In This Guidebook, who are bored stiff by the experience and find themselves tired from wandering through really boring rooms for a few hours. These people are basically sleepwalking through an obstacle course filled with multi-million euro obstacles. Yes, people regularly fall over the barriers and onto a painting, or lean on a sculpture. People rarely fall down big holes, but that's usually because big holes are not so much on display. When they are on display, however...
posted by The River Ivel at 3:01 PM on August 20, 2018 [96 favorites]
Luckily, he was wearing assless chaps.
posted by pracowity at 3:04 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by pracowity at 3:04 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
"Bottomless"???
He lost his pants on the way down.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:05 PM on August 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
He lost his pants on the way down.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:05 PM on August 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
Honestly, all of you, this is the Metafilter I needed today. So many thanks!
posted by bluesky43 at 3:25 PM on August 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by bluesky43 at 3:25 PM on August 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
I thought this story was an Onionesque joke when I saw the headline earlier today, as I've seen one of Kapoor's holes in Naples, complete with a velvet rope to keep you from getting too close, and had thought that the 'hole' point was that it wasn't a hole, it was just a really really black paint and as such was really really impressive. Bit disenchanted now.
posted by Flashman at 3:25 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Flashman at 3:25 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
I literally clicked over to the comments to find out what Stuart Semple had to say about this, so I'd like to thank Metafilter for helping me keep the kapoople flame burning.
Also I'd just like to second The River Ivel that the general public in museums are dumb as hell when they're not being actively destructive for fun. (Why yes, someone did steal part of an artifact I conserved and I do have strong emotional feelings about every aspect of that, why do you ask.)
posted by kalimac at 3:31 PM on August 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
Also I'd just like to second The River Ivel that the general public in museums are dumb as hell when they're not being actively destructive for fun. (Why yes, someone did steal part of an artifact I conserved and I do have strong emotional feelings about every aspect of that, why do you ask.)
posted by kalimac at 3:31 PM on August 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
“An accident happened,” Fernando Rodrigues Pereira, the museum’s press officer, told artnet News in an email. “Now this installation is temporarily closed.”“Mistakes were made.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:45 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
I fell in the pit
You fell in the pit
We all were in the pit
posted by steef at 3:49 PM on August 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
You fell in the pit
We all were in the pit
posted by steef at 3:49 PM on August 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
If you go to the Getty Museum, you'll find railings around the various water features. When it first opened, there were none. When my mother-in-law came to visit, she looked up to marvel at the courtyard, and walked right into a fountain just after the main entrance and got soaked to her knees - there is now a fence around that particular feature.
At other museums, she has set off the proximity alarms by getting too close to the art. Another time, she used a program to point out a particular feature of the artwork to a companion (not sure if she actually touched the artwork or just got reaaally close).
If we had gone to this exhibition, I would've put cash money on her falling into the pit.
posted by mogget at 3:54 PM on August 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
At other museums, she has set off the proximity alarms by getting too close to the art. Another time, she used a program to point out a particular feature of the artwork to a companion (not sure if she actually touched the artwork or just got reaaally close).
If we had gone to this exhibition, I would've put cash money on her falling into the pit.
posted by mogget at 3:54 PM on August 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
Beware 610-3356. It's about a four-story drop.
posted by tss at 4:54 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by tss at 4:54 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is not a bottomless pit, it's an oubliette. If the artist had been truly faithful to his art the man should have been left in there.
d&d player identified.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 4:56 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
d&d player identified.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 4:56 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
> Luckily, he was wearing assless chaps.
I haven't seen the phrase "assless chaps" in years and it still makes me laugh like a loon—thanks for the memories!
posted by languagehat at 5:06 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
I haven't seen the phrase "assless chaps" in years and it still makes me laugh like a loon—thanks for the memories!
posted by languagehat at 5:06 PM on August 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
If someone's mother wants to fall into an artist-created pit, there's always this one.
posted by xo at 5:21 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by xo at 5:21 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
I haven't seen the phrase "assless chaps" in years and it still makes me laugh like a loon...
It’s redundant, not to mention repetitive.
posted by TedW at 5:52 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
It’s redundant, not to mention repetitive.
posted by TedW at 5:52 PM on August 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm kind of horrified that this happened to someone. Apparently the man suffered back injuries. I appreciate art, but I speak from experience when I say that orthopedic injuries are really unenjoyable. This is so not worth it for a rather gimmicky art installation.
(Sorry, but it's hard to have a sense of humor about this when you've spent the entire summer recovering from injuries sustained at another tourist trap.)
posted by limeonaire at 7:08 PM on August 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
(Sorry, but it's hard to have a sense of humor about this when you've spent the entire summer recovering from injuries sustained at another tourist trap.)
posted by limeonaire at 7:08 PM on August 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Though I guess points to the artist for creating a literal tourist trap? OK, fine, I still have a sense of humor, lol.
posted by limeonaire at 7:09 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by limeonaire at 7:09 PM on August 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
Void where exhibited?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 7:53 PM on August 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 7:53 PM on August 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
I would like to view this with my hips teetering on the edge of the pit and my face over its middle, and someone (strong / heavy!) holding my feet.
posted by batter_my_heart at 12:59 AM on August 21, 2018
posted by batter_my_heart at 12:59 AM on August 21, 2018
The Anish Kapoor installation makes me feel very uneasy, but this is the bottomless pit that terrifies me (scroll for multiple photos). Apparently it's "only" 200 feet deep.
posted by carmicha at 6:34 AM on August 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 6:34 AM on August 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
I can see why someone would want to test that out although I would throw something onto it instead of actually stepping on the circle myself.
I wonder how many coins they've had to fish out?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:42 AM on August 21, 2018
I wonder how many coins they've had to fish out?
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:42 AM on August 21, 2018
I don’t have time for a bottomless pit that doesn’t restore dead animals to life.
posted by ejs at 7:58 AM on August 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ejs at 7:58 AM on August 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
How was this installed in the gallery in the first place?
posted by Selena777 at 8:49 AM on August 21, 2018
posted by Selena777 at 8:49 AM on August 21, 2018
Son of abyss!
posted by kirkaracha at 9:27 AM on August 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 9:27 AM on August 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think I would prefer it installed on a wall. You could stand in front of it and stare into the void and if you experienced vertigo, simply lie down. A nearby super-white fainting couch would be appropriate, also for resale in the gift shop.
posted by amanda at 11:01 AM on August 21, 2018
posted by amanda at 11:01 AM on August 21, 2018
Selena777, it has its own small building (scroll down) on the museum's grounds.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:07 PM on August 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 3:07 PM on August 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
I have seen this piece, and it is really fascinating. I don't understand how the guy could fall into it, but I do understand why he would want to get up close.
posted by mumimor at 3:43 PM on August 21, 2018
posted by mumimor at 3:43 PM on August 21, 2018
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