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Spread: Wide Out Series

 

            At first glance into the room where Spread is, you think nothing of it. So what? It's a gym floor with flights of stairs leading up to a blue screen. I waited patiently for the movie that I thought was supposed to be playing. After awhile I began to look around for where the projector was hiding, but couldn't find it. I figured that it wasn't working at the moment and decided to leave, but first, asked the attendant if I could walk up the stairs. "Sure, but put those on first," he replied, pointing to blue booties that reminded me of hospital slippers. I was a bit puzzled as to why he wanted me to put them on just to walk up to the wall, but did it anyways. As I walked up the stairs he said something about not crossing the line at the end. I was still confused. I got to the top platform and went to touch the wall my hand went through it! I stepped inside and everything became clear. But at the same time I was in awe and wonder. I had just stepped through a "wall" and into this huge chasm of blue. It seemed endless. I took a few steps into the room and turned around. I saw the attendant standing there, as if he was now on the screen and I was in the real world. Surrounding the outer perimeter of the new screen was the source of all the blue. Made of fluorescent and neon lights, they managed to illuminate the entire room, giving the illusion of endlessness. I put my hand on the left wall and held it there, as a guide, to walk. Soon I understood the mans request not to go beyond a certain line, because I had finally found it. It was very disappointing because there was so much more to explore beyond the line. I turned around again and saw other people in the room who had followed after me. They were silhouetted against the blue so that you couldn't make out any definite faces. James Turrell did an amazing job at portraying time and motion in this piece. You can easily be lost and spend all day in that room and never get bored.


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