A Sneak Peek at The New MoMA PS1 Warm Up! Courtyard Installation

June 20, 2014

Every year it's the same fantastic story: on Saturday afternoons all summer long, MoMA PS1 transforms its huge outdoor courtyard space into one of the best dance parties in town. It's called Warm Up! it begins on June 28, each week features a different, impressive line-up of DJs and live bands, and the centerpiece of the whole thing, this and every year, is a brand-new installation by the winners of the museum's annual Young Architects Program contest.

PLUS, of course, the inside of PS1 (it was once a NYC public school, hence the name, and many details remain from its previous life) is filled with all new exhibitions, so even if you aren't a fan of dancing the afternoon away, you should still head out here some non-Saturday and check out the art. Anyway, here's a sneak peek at everything…

YAP Winner: The Living's Hy-Fi Installation

This summer's YAP winner is The Living, and their installation promises to be among the largest ever; one of the architects told me they were only a third of the way finished, height-wise, when I took these photos. And those white bricks? That's what makes Hy-Fi really interesting. Made out of revolutionary compound of corn and mushrooms (yes, you read that right), they weigh about the same as styrofoam, but, of course, are entirely biodegradable. The downside: there won't be much (any?) water features–misting tunnels, pools, surprise squirters–this year.

Dancing AND Conteporary Art in One Place

One of the coolest things about Warm Up! is that you can take a break from the sun and wander through one of NYC's premier venues for contemporary art. I saw all of the new exhibitions earlier this week, and predict that Korakrit Arunanondchai's will be the most heavily attended on Warm Up! days, mostly because the main gallery is basically a pillow room. Also of note: the terrific, semi-tortured paintings by Maria Lassnig, and James Lee Byars's "1/2 an Autobiography", which takes over almost the entire second floor and includes a giant ball made out of palpably decaying roses and a disconcertingly pitch-dark room that may or may not be haunted by the artist's ghost.

More Information: Warm Up! MoMA PS1

Warm Up! at MoMA PS1 is held every Saturday from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. (doors open at noon), June 28 through September 6. Admission to the weekly event is $20, which is double the usual amount. As you can see from the photo below, taken last year, the place gets packed by late early evening, so come early if you want to avoid the line. The PS1 "cafeteria", the excellent M. Wells Dinette, is open throughout, and will likely be serving snacks in the inner courtyard as well. Beer and wine is also readily available for sale outside. MoMA PS1 is located in Long Island City, a couple of blocks from the 7, E, M, and G trains.