A quick note about the Governors Island “excavation,” for those who are interested…
I was on Governors Island this past weekend, and happened to stumble on the “Dig” without knowing a thing about it. I paid $5 and was completely fooled into believing it…at least, at first.
I was blown away as I entered the site and saw the water tower and power lines. The idea that a town from the 1950’s was buried and being excavated totally grabbed my imagination, and I was eating it all up. The church steeple, the chimneys…It was too good to be true! There were even “archaeologists,” one of whom I had a good ten minute conversation with about the site. He had answers for everything, and I congratulated him on the great job his team was doing.
It was only when I got deeper into the exhibit that I started noticing some odd elements: a chimney with bike handlebars sticking out of it. A gas station that looked like it had been transported from another dimension. Post-1950’s cars buried underground. My bullshit meter suddenly went into the red. I started to realize that the whole thing felt phony…like a film set.
I walked out pretty pissed off, feeling I’d been had. I couldn’t believe I’d had a full conversation about a fake town with an actor posing as an archaeologist (probably laughing at me the whole time). A quick internet search brought up a volunteer job posting online for the Dig, and a key requirement was your ability to “keep a secret.” More searching found a mention of it as an art installation…I should have guessed. I was pretty angry, and started writing a post to expose their ruse…
And then I started laughing as I looked back on my pictures. “Goverthing”?? Chimneys everywhere but not a single house? Soil and building levels that make NO sense when you think about it? I realized that I was only angry because I was the butt of the joke. The whole thing is a lot of fun, if you think about it, and I decided I didn’t want to be the know-it-all to blow all their hard work. At least, not so bluntly.
So I presented it exactly as I had experienced it (albeit with a lot of sarcasm that I unfortunately think was taken to be genuine). Unlike the exhibit, though, I wanted to alert people to it being phony at the end, so I finished with a reference to the Feejee Mermaid, a legendary hoax by PT Barnum in which a monkey and a fish were sewn together and advertised as a “gen-u-ine mermaid.” I figured that would answer everyone’s questions to its legitimacy. I was wrong.
While I think the installation is very well done, I have a problem with the fact that it never admits to being a hoax, not even when you’re at the end of the tour. Yes, it may seem obvious from my blog entry, but it is much more compelling and believable in person, and most of the visitors I saw left with the impression that everything they had witnessed was absolutely real (at least one commentor on the blog entry was totally convinced it was genuine after visiting).
And I don’t think that’s fair. If you don’t educate your audience, you’re playing them for lab rats, a social experiment for the sole benefit of the artist(s). Yes, people are sheep. Wow. Yes, people believe what authority figures tell them, often no matter how ridiculous. Amazing. Yes, people are willing to let go of logic to believe in something they want desperately to be real. Astounding.
I think the “excavation” would be so much more powerful and effective if visitors were told at the end that everything they had experienced was a hoax. It would amaze them to realize how easily they had been duped, and perhaps make them less susceptible to it in the future. It would also allow them to re-tour the site with a completely different understanding and appreciation for the work. And it would make the art honest, if art can in fact be honest. If it were me, I’d have a final indoor exhibit on how the entire thing was planned and built.
Anyway, I definitely recommend you visit it in person for the full effect – and bring some friends! You’ll get a kick out of watching them pump the water tower lever “30 times” according to the directions, despite the fact that you can simply just press the button and a spray of water will come out.
-SCOUT
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Tags: 9 Comments
9 responses so far ↓
You even had me going for a moment, but the buried cars gave it away for me.
I visited the exhibit this past weekend, and while I was almost totally taken in by the town’s story, it pretty quickly became apparent that it was an art installation. The whole thing was in the midst of an enormous art festival, and why would Belgian archaeologists be working to excavate an American site? Though they didn’t “give it away” at the end, there is a large sign giving credit to the team of artists and funding foundations, so it’s pretty apparent that it was an installation.
So, does this mean that the Dodge Challenger Rallye might be in decent condition under all that dirt?
http://autoculture.org/?p=236
I’m still going to check it out this Thursday or Friday! Thanks Scout!
[...] Here is a post explaining the [...]
Phew!
Governor’s Island is about two inches above sea level. How could this town have been buried? Global warming would have had to do some pretty exciting things since the — Thirties?
I was praying that you were in on the hoax, Scout. More than that, I was praying that it WAS a hoax. Otherwise, I was going to be very, very afraid.
My oppinion on this is, that people who don’t figure out, that this is a hoax, they should believe it….
Like people who believe that magicians do real magic…
I went to this exhibit today and LOVED it. At first, I thought the fake buildings were just recreations of the town for tourists. I didn’t realize it was ALL a hoax until I looked in one of the chimneys and there was a minimalist video of a pigeon inside. That seemed kind of avant-garde, and suddenly it all became clear. There are so many fun little details, like the original name of the “island” was Dutch for “Nut Island”, which is spelled “Noten Islynt” (pronounced “Not an island”). And the “famous songstress” is named Arita De Franke. (Sound like another famous singer?) Be sure to shake the statue’s hand!
In about 5 hours, we’re all headed out to GI, specifically because my sister’s fiance wants to see the installation.
I didn’t see this follow-up post until just now, and I’m torn.
I’m debating on whether or not to tell him it’s an installation before we go. Or, maybe go, and see if the three of them buy into it.
Hmmm.
I’m kind of sad it’s not true, and I have to say, when I read your original post, I was astounded that after two guided tours of the island, that no one mentioned a whole town was buried there, not to mention why Belgium?
Anyway. Clever. And thanks for the original post with cool pics, and the follow-up post, as well.