'Worry Will Vanish' in this Wonderland: Pipilotti Rist’s MFAH Exhibit

Purple and blue light sequence with projected videos in background at “Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish” by Pipilotti Rist at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. 

Jordan Miller-Mandel, summer intern at The Buzz, visited Pipilotti Rist’s new exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and shares her experience.

Peace and serenity: The first words that come into my head when I walk in to the new exhibit “Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish” by Pipilotti Rist at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. 

Walking in to the dark, curtained-off room, your eyes are quick to adjust to the strands of lights hanging from the ceiling, changing colors to the beat of the music that fills your ears immediately. The lights change from pinks to purples to blues, pausing on a color scheme every 20 seconds or so, then flickering from color to color in a wave-like pattern.

Your attention is then called to the huge, projected side-by-side videos on the walls. From up-close shots of water droplets on a leaf to a woman dancing over the screen, you are put in an encapsulated state of mind by the images. When you look back over to the lights, you notice the images are changing to match the color scheme of the videos. The music is matching the movements of the videos as well.

A close-up shot of the lights changing during the exhibit. (Photo: Jordan Miller-Mandel)

All the components of this exhibit are intertwined. It’s obvious that it took meticulous planning and time to get the lights, music, and videos on the same beat. 

At your feet is a plush carpet with cushions available for you to lounge on. You become completely lost in this exhibit, not knowing what time it is, or whether it is light or dark outside.

The closest thing I can relate this exhibit to is some sort of wonderland, one where expression and creativity has taken over.

Walking out of the exhibit you have the realization that everything we see with the human eye is light and we sometimes overlook that.  This exhibit was not only an escape from the real world but also a reminder to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of things.

“I want to make it clear that everything we look at is also just organized light…” – Pipilotti Rist  

The exhibit continues through Sept. 17, 2017 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. If you’ve visited this exhibit, we want to hear about your experience too. Comment below.