Experience Music Project
By Patrice Raplee
Seattle's new controversial landmark building, the Experience Music
Project, opened June 23 to a frenzy of media and visitors from all over
the world.
Located next to Seattle's Space Needle, this interactive music museum
with hands-on exhibits and truly state-of-the-art technology has been
the subject of debate since its inception by creator Paul Allen. Individually
shaped metal tiles, numbering 21,000, in hues of purple, brushed silver,
red, blue and gold, cover a steel and concrete structure that defies
the brain's first visual attempt to identify EMP as a building. Although
much maligned by some music critics, Seattleites and the media, EMP's
exterior certainly takes the complacency out of traditional metropolitan
architecture.
Architect Frank Gehry was employed to design EMP. Gehry's innovative
vision has pushed 20th century architectural boundaries all over the
world with EMP as his first commercial project in the Pacific Northwest.
Reportedly, when one of Gehry's architects met with a representative
from Hoffman Construction of Washington to have lunch and go over the
preliminary details, the representative from Hoffman asked for a basic
design so that he could give an estimate. Gehry's architect took his
napkin off the counter, bunched it up into a lump, dropped it on the
counter and then said, "Estimate that!"
The interior of this front-runner music museum is unparalleled in its
visual intensity. Sky Church, one of the largest pixel arrays in the
Northwest, emits video images from a wall about the size of an Imax
theatre screen. From the top of the ceiling, glowing umbrella-like pinnacles
expand in and out with the pulsing of the acoustics, while the translucent
floors beneath the Sky Church hold time capsules.
One of the most interesting features of EMP is a hand-held unit called
the Museum Exhibit Guide (MEG). This unit goes along with the visitor
and acts as a virtual tour guide with audio, video and graphic information.
The visitor simply goes to an exhibit, punches in the exhibit number,
and MEG gives more information about the exhibit or one of the artifacts.
Items of interest can be book-marked on MEG and looked up in the access
www.emplive on their computer for information on what they have book-marked
and more.
Several exhibits and galleries within EMP span different eras and genres
of music. Crossroads and Artist's Journey are both riddled with fascinating
and rare artifacts, as well as videos, special effects, film and computer
graphics.
The Jimi Hendrix Gallery chronicles the artist's early life in Seattle
to his rise to fame. There are many Hendrix artifacts to view, from
his guitars and stage clothing to his original handwritten lyric notebook.
Tour jackets line the wall in a semi-dark, ultra-modern construction
named the Northwest Passage. The gallery consists of musical history
of the Pacific Northwest from early jazz and R&B to the Kingsmen,
Heart and the grunge scene. A mock stage display portrays the green
lace-up dress that Nancy Wilson wore in Heart's '76 concert tours and
her `83 Dean electric guitar.
There are so many interesting stories, artifacts and presentations
about each group, individual artist and record company that it's important
for the visitor to take time going through the museum. The average suggested
amount of time to see everything in the museum (depending on the size
of the crowd) is roughly four hours.
The galleries are just one facet of EMP; the interactive exhibits are
the first of their kind available to the public. In Sound Lab, individual
half circle booths contain different MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital
Interface) instruments. A visitor can learn to play electric guitar,
keyboards or drums. The computer display on the PC in front of the stationary
electric guitar lets the visitor choose between Smoking Lead, Chunky
Rhythm, Unplugged and Space Harmony. In the center of Sound
Lab stands a giant amoeba-shaped drum circle table with multi-colored
lights that throw psychedelic patterns out across the top of the drumhead
with each strike of the drum. Anyone can join in regardless of experience
or skill. The Sound Lab also contains sound pods, demo theatre (for
live demonstrations and workshops) and recording technology interactives.
On stage is a simulated dream come true for the rock star "wanna
be." Even with no musical ability, visitors can play drums, keyboards,
guitar and sing to the screaming fans of a virtual audience. The sophistication
of this technology will correct and play over a novice musician's hammering
with the right notes.
The museum houses over 80,000 artifacts and is growing every day. Most
of the exhibits are permanent, while some are varied periodically to
enhance educational experience.
EMP is an amazing music museum, but as guest speaker, rock star Patti
Smith expressed at the museum's grand opening: The museum has a sense
of community and history, a real place that's a real human place, not
another tourist attraction, but a true cultural center, not a marketing
experience. If the essence of Paul Allen's dream continues to grow,
evolve and open people's minds to the experience of music, then the
museum has truly achieved its intended purpose.
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