Jasen Emmons- EMP Museum Seattle, Washington
Take the downtown
Monorail to Seattle Center and as you near your destination, the train dashes
through a corner of a massive curvy lavender-pink building. The undulating elements seem to define
movement and what some call: swoopy shapes.
You have arrived at the Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum. Renown
architect Frank Gehry had rhythmic dynamics on his drawing board as he designed
the EMP for his client Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and a collector of Jimi Hendrix and rock n’ roll
ephemera.
It also seems to
be the right place for curatorial director, Jasen Emmons, who grew up in Great
Falls, Montana. From somewhere within
the 140,000 square foot facility, Emmons appears to guide us through this
amazing world of music. A longtime multi
media specialist, he now directs the EMP curatorial, collections, and education
departments. He also oversees the
carpenter shop that builds exhibits within a 5000 square foot shop. He has created 44 exhibits of which 17 now
belong to EMP. Referring to the
absence of flat surfaces and the unusual rounded out walls of the building, he
muses that: “It is a challenge to bring in and display exhibits because it is a
French model with crazy shapes.”
While the tone is set by the building’s
exterior exuberance, Emmons enthuses about music, science fiction, and pop
culture which the EMP is all about, even adding, that the EMP is the largest
Jimi Hendrix exhibit.
“Every two to
three years, we do a new exhibit of him,” says Emmons.
And for a guy who
loves music (he also plays the drums and is in a band that does gigs around
Seattle), Emmons is surrounded by sound.
We are awestruck by the massive “cyclone of
instruments” located on the main level in the museum’s entry. Beckoning to be seen and heard, the multicolored
structure, IF VI WAS IX, was created by Trimpin, an artist originally from
Germany, now living in Seattle. The towering edifice contains more than 500
musical instruments from which sound bites are recorded and played back on an
audio file. It’s the thirty-five foot icon that crowds gather around as the EMP’s
visual catch for photos.
Strolling to the other side of a cathedral
like space, we enter the Grand Hall which contains one of the world’s largest
High Definition screens. This is the Sky Church where audiences watch dynamic
music, videos, short films, and audio reactive visuals.
Emmons moves us on to the Icons of Science
Fiction where we encounter objects from famous films and TV shows, and where
people are trying on costumes to create their own sci-fi world with the film
composition interactive. There’s definitely a different way to see yourself
here. Not just in disguise, but also,
by visiting the shadow wall to watch your shadow morph into monstrous forms. And, if you’re not a scaredy cat, you will
want to see the lure of the ten best horror (hair-raising) films.
We paused for
sometime in the Guitar Gallery which chronicles how guitars went from being
acoustic to electric. If you have ever
wanted to know the fascinating history of guitars, it starts here with a 1770s
Italian guitar. There are sixty-five
instruments in the collection that goes through the development of the
instrument as it became larger, went electric, and finally came to dominate the
stage as the signature instrument of rock n’ roll.
Just a few steps
away, people are jamming with ear phones and musical instruments. “The idea is to let people make music in here,”
directed Emmons. The glassed in booths were full of adults and children. This Sound Lab promotes hands on play with
installations such as the Big Drum which can be played by up to 12 people and a
number of trio instrument stations. You may also pop into one of Sound Labs
private rooms to perfect your own jam.
Then, hasten over to On Stage and perform with your own impromptu band,
belt out one of five pre-selected songs, and capture the moment with a take
home poster, CD or DVD of that performance.
The grandeur of rock
n’ roll resonance is played out in The Sound Vision Gallery where kiosks show
excerpts from interviews with hip hop, Santana, and oral histories of other
famous musicians. Close by, taking punk
music to main stream, the Nirvana Exhibit features artifacts and photography
from the band, and those connected with them.
It also includes many prints of the Rolling Stones captured by
photojournalist, Jim Marshall.
Presently, the
EMP is featuring a special exhibit: Worn
to be Wild: The Black Leather Jacket. The EMP partnered with The Harley- Davidson
Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to showcase one of pop culture’s defining
garments. Originally inspired by the
WWII bomber jackets, bikers and celebrities have embraced them for style and
warmth. Here, there’s a peek at Elvis
Presley’s jacket and one of his roaring bikes.
The EMP’s
technology and intensive multimedia displays are ever expanding. Soon to come, according to Emmons, will be a
“fantasy” exhibit featuring, among others, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.
At the beginning
of every adventure, it is difficult to anticipate what to expect. Indeed the EMP leaves you with a harmony of
contemporary sound. And, around every
corner, the museum provides an opportunity to learn something.
The intrigue of history, the magic of music,
and the creativity of putting together shows; these words fall out of Jasen
Emmons’ mouth like musical notes. They
play on a sense of symphony in a rock n’ roll world at the EMP which he knows
well.
Admission costs:
Adults: $20
Seniors: $17
Youth: $14
Children: Free
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