Coming in off the colorful overload of the NYC Pride Parade, the Museum of Modern Art will be hosting a gloriously shimmering techno-rainbow made from bamboo in an upcoming exhibition entitled Uneven Growth: Tactical Urbanisms for Expanding Megacities, which focuses on solutions to over-population. The many colors and hues of the light spectrum will be spread across an installation called A Temporary Temple Pavilion. Approximately 1,800 painted bamboo towers of escalating height create a wave of color, and are emphasized by implanted LEDs, external halogen lights, and retro-reflective vinyl stickers, which bring the whole spectacle to ebullient life.
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The rainbow pavilion was originally designed by Indian artist Abin Chaudhuri to protect a spiritual idol as part of a socio-religious festival in Hooghly, West Bengal, India. It is now being included in the MoMA exhibition because its architecturally-minded construction (which inspires the impression of constant motion and migration) reflects when, according to the MoMA event description, “The world’s population will be a staggering eight billion people. Of these, two-thirds will live in cities. Most will be poor.”Whether Chaudhuri's work suggests the future will involve citizens moving from neon city to neon city is not totally certain. But, we love the idea of a group show dedicated to discussing an omnipresent issue challenging our planet through beautiful and design-focused means. Discourse about overpopulation doesn't necessarily have to be bleak. A work like A Temporary Temple Pavilion illustrates that artists can focus on pertinent, distressing issues and wow our eyes at the same time.
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