Roxy Paine’s Maelstrom. (Photo by C-M.)
Kick ass! Of the installations I’ve seen on the roof of the Met in recent summers, Roxy Paine’s post-apocalyptic naturescape has got to be the most mind-blowing: a writhing mass of stainless steel roots and branches that emerge from the drainpipes, ready to take its revenge on humanity — kinda like a Robo-Everglades. I’d seen Paine’s lovely heavy metal trees before, in an installation two years ago at Madison Square Park. But Maelstrom, which occupies the entire roof of the museum — and which requires the visitor to duck and climb around its branches — channels a Mother Earth that is ready to rip our guts out.
I couldn’t get enough of it. And apparently neither can the neighborhood wildlife: the guards told us that the installation is visited every morning by a local hawk, who was perched on one of the sculpture’s uppermost branches when we arrived. (See a photo after the jump.) Get there first thing in the morning, and you might see the bird yourself. But, what ever you do, don’t miss this exhibit.
Maelstrom is up through October 25.
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