Art loves music: Rock at Art Basel
- Dec 15, 2008
Yearly one of the world's largest and most festive art fairs, Miami's Art Basel 2008, hosts a slew of tributes to music from December 4th to the 7th. First came the annual kick-off event, "Art Loves Music," with a free concert after sunset on the beach. Last year, Art Basel made music headlines as the leathery Iggy Pop strutted onstage and got the crowd into an uproar. Thus while this year, for many it seemed like a recession special when they announced the French indie pop star Yelle was performing, onstage the young star provoked everyone to join in a frisky, electronic dance party.
Mostly though, all of Miami Basel was a haven for music this year. Pharrell Williams strutted around the NY Times party cool and calm like, gasp, a civilian. MSTRKFRT and Chromeo performed a late night show during the week that attracted throngs of locals and some Baselites, while The Gossip rocked all over town, headlining various magazine and gallery parties. On the art front, there was a whole exhibit called "Speaker Box," devoted to showing how sound waves into becoming a source of energy or language. Meanwhile, in cooperation with Art Radio WPS1.org, artists Federico Diaz built a futuristic beach deck, constructed to represent sound waves. In the center of the white structure was a broadcast booth, called the Art Sound Lounge, curated by David Weinstein. Especially at night when the monument glowed and people lounged on the hill-like terrain with cocktails in hand, all signs seemed to prove that indeed "Art Loves Music."
