Whether visitors basked in the virtual warmth of Olafur Eliasson's fake sun in his «Weather Project,» or laid themselves upon Ai Weiwei's field of 100 million hand -
painted porcelain sunflower
seeds (until the dust stirred up was decreed a health hazard), the collective, interactive
experience of these artworks has generated its own momentum and a new set of norms for the museum - going
experience.
The powder all over, the mixing, the bits that just won't mix, the bumpy
paint, the completely unpredictable way it sticks to some areas and not others (even after using milk
paint primer), the way its flaked up in random pieces larger than can be considered attractive «patina,» even after waxing, its short shelf life... The
experience (disclaimer — I did not use the Miss Mustard
Seed brand) really drove home how lucky I was that acrylics were invented!