I hear a symphony

Posted 8/21/12

In the space of 24 little hours, we’ve gone from spring to winter and back again. Simply being able to open a window has been a thrill, and hearing the birds singing in the trees has given rise to …

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I hear a symphony

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In the space of 24 little hours, we’ve gone from spring to winter and back again. Simply being able to open a window has been a thrill, and hearing the birds singing in the trees has given rise to spring fever. With Easter and Passover behind us, surely the darling buds of May can’t be too far off, and the promise of warmer temps and flowers blooming enthralls even the most cynical (I mean me), as the allure of hanging the wash out to dry entices.

As for the birds… I have mixed feelings. Ever since Alfred Hitchcock’s classic homage to all things winged, I’ve kept a safe distance. Don’t get me wrong—I’m a huge nature lover and unafraid of most woodland creatures, and I particularly enjoy seeing the Wonder Dog frolic with newborn foals, chicks and piglets, but there are times when the avian chorus is more of a cacophony, and the beat of wings too close to my head strikes a teeny bit of fear within. As for keeping birds in the house? I’ve never understood why anyone would desire to do such a thing, and poet Maya Angelou’s famous question, “Why does the caged bird sing?” (www.mayaangelou.com) resonates with me.

That said, it was a different kind of music that drew me out of the house a few days ago, when I noted that a new museum exhibit (www.bethelwoodscenter.org) was about to debut, celebrating the sounds and sights of electronic dance music (EDM), tracing its history from the disco era to the present day (www.mysteryland.us). Prior to opening the doors to the general public, museum curator Wade Lawrence hosted a preview for the media as the final touches of the exhibit were put in place. The new installation, titled “Peace Love Unity Respect” (PLUR) is “inspired by the new sounds and crowds that Mysteryland has brought to Bethel Woods,” but Lawrence was quick to point out that the installation is not just about the music festival that will descend on the grounds for a second year. “This exhibit is far more encompassing that just that,” he said, “and the artifacts from the rave, club and electronic music world encompass a veritable trip through 30 years of a music culture that lands right outside our doors this spring.”

The concept began as a “small filler between exhibits,” Wade told the crowd before our tour began, “when [marketing director] Shannon McSweeney Le-May suggested a ‘simple’ exhibit about EDM. After attending a conference on the same subject, I met author [and EDM expert] Daphne Carr and asked her to guest-curate the exhibit; something we had never done before.” According to Lawrence, it was Carr who got people excited about the show, and her expertise on the subject was what drew so many to contribute props, costumes and large set pieces that caused the exhibit to grow in scale to the large installation that visitors can now peruse at Bethel Woods. The thoughtful and all-inclusive exhibit is informative, incredibly colorful and educational, especially for those of a different generation (like me) who still listen to Sinatra.

While they are hardly symphonic in nature, I was, in point of fact, fascinated to discover that “oldies” came into play while touring the grounds during the Mysteryland Music Festival last May, when I heard the strains of Perry Como and Mel Torme under the heavy thrumming of an electronic beat emanating from one of the dance tents erected solely for Mysteryland. Replete with a “chill room” to hang out in and soak up some of the black-light culture, the lower floor of the museum is chock-a-block with interactive displays, flat screens, sculptures and fashions that span the decades, and I learned a great deal about something I knew very little about. Assisting me in that effort were a few Museum Studies grad students from Cooperstown, who contributed to creating the exhibit and were on hand for the preview. “We participated in phone conferences and consultations with Mr. Lawrence,” Lynds Jones told me, posing for a snapshot with his Cooperstown comrades. “It’s such an honor to be involved with this project and become a part of the history that is Bethel Woods,” he said. PLUR runs through Memorial Day and is (IMHO) a worthy excursion in addition to the permanent exhibit that covers the Woodstock Music Festival and the decade that spawned it. Regardless of the genre, whenever I’m near Bethel, NY… I hear a symphony.

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