Sunday At The MET With Swoon

The Eidophones at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Mezzanine Gallery.

Swoon. Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

What is a more quintessential activity in New York on a Sunday than to go to the museum? The steps of the Met Museum were crowded despite the cold blustery (spring?) weather. We climbed the steps with Martha to see one of street arts’ best storytellers in the mezzanine of a warm-hued private gallery area. A small collection of peers and friends and fans, adults and children, milled around the taupe linen space for a meet-and-greet that glowed like stained glass Mission table lamp wrapped in copper foil upon a thick oak table.

Swoon. Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We were here to look at a new body of work inspired by that time – 30 or 40 small-scale pieces mounted on the wall. “Their paper forms take inspiration from harmonographs, Chladni plates, natural forms such as ice crystals and radiolarians,” said the invite, “as well as traditional textile and weaving patterns, alchemical symbols, and architecture.” Curated by Laura Einstein, she calls these collected pieces “Eidophones”.

She greeted us all, red bubbling ringlets spilling, happy for the reunion, pleased with the new works. Martha was taken with two girls who played on chairs patiently, their mom with one eye trained to them while talking with someone else nearby.

Swoon. Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We chatted with a Bushwick artist named Felix who helped hang the show and who showed Martha his taxidermy, Steve talked with Robert Aiola and friend Fabiola about their trip this afternoon to the Hip Hop show at Sotheby’s. Robert was fascinated with a crate of vinyl there from DJ Jazzy Jeff. Faust arrived and interviewed a woman who carried a tablet like a clipboard and looked like a salesperson. All of us got to meet a young painting prodigy of 10 whose mom showed us her paintings on her phone, and then Jaime asked to snap a pic of Swoon before we left.

Naturally, we exited through the gift shop.

Swoon. Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Swoon. Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Swoon. Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Swoon. Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
Martha and Jaime perusing new Swoon items at the Met, shaking off the too windy cold outside on 5th Avenue. (photo ©Steven P. Harrington)
Jaime asks a gracious Callie for a shot in front of her wall at the Met in a flurry of texture and lines and hearthful tones at Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. . (photo ©Steven P. Harrington)
Swoon. Eidophones. The Mezzanine Gallery. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (photo © Jaime Rojo)
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