I'm pretty sure this will make you wince.

[windshieldbug]

This has been posted before. It was also noted that all the horns used were playing a little flat.

They were made in the old British "High Pitch", and it was hoped that by dropping the pitch they would play in tune.
May be too flat now, as a result of the adjustment...

[The Big Ben]

One of the big used band instrument companies here in the States was actually selling squished instruments. Gives the term "wall hanger" a new meaning.

[ken k]

One of the big used band instrument companies here in the States was actually selling squished instruments. Gives the term "wall hanger" a new meaning.

yep Taylor Music used to sell "Flat Finales" I bought a few to give as presents

[DonShirer]

In plane words, very impressed.

[ghmerrill]

As mall art, not bad. Interesting and attractive in the way that old trumpets, trombones, and clarinets are when hung on the walls of bars and restaurants.

As anything more pretentious, ... ??? The Victoria and Albert Museum? Really? Is that all it takes nowadays to crack into the world of genuine art? In what claims to be "the world's greatest museum of art and design"?

the work is an attempt by the artist to explore such ideas of duality as silence/noise, upper class/lower class, and death/resurrection.

What absolute horse ****.

[windshieldbug]

I bet if you push the artist in private, she would comment about the class separation issue. Well known to many, the traditional brass band represents that to some in the UK. A bit of irony that it hangs so prominently in the V&A. To get paid, she couldn't very well emphasize that in commentary.

+1

[bort]

As mall art, not bad. Interesting and attractive in the way that old trumpets, trombones, and clarinets are when hung on the walls of bars and restaurants.

As anything more pretentious, ... ??? The Victoria and Albert Museum? Really? Is that all it takes nowadays to crack into the world of genuine art? In what claims to be "the world's greatest museum of art and design"?

the work is an attempt by the artist to explore such ideas of duality as silence/noise, upper class/lower class, and death/resurrection.

What absolute horse ****.

What mall do YOU go to?

Here is the museum's page for this piece:
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1119 ... -cornelia/" target="_blank

To me, the fact that you view it from above AND below makes a bit more sense of the verbal explanation. Take it for what you will, but realize as well that there are plenty of "BS" (er... "HS"?) written descriptions of pieces of music as well.

I think it's pretty cool, and I'm sure it's even cooler in person (and in context of the rest of the museum).

As an aside, and not personally directed at you or anyone else here, I think it's frustrating to hear people talk about not liking art, and then trying to minimize it. For example, a Jackson Pollock painting, when people say "whatever, I could do that!" My response is that, well, maybe you could do that. But you didn't, and now it's already been done.

[ghmerrill]

What mall do YOU go to?

I don't always go to malls. But when I do, I prefer ones that are straightforward about their function of selling merchandise rather than being pretentious about the metaphysical, mystical, and socio-historical nature of the merchandise.

As an aside, and not personally directed at you or anyone else here, I think it's frustrating to hear people talk about not liking art, and then trying to minimize it.

I, for one, did not say or suggest that I don't like art. Believe me, I've done my time in a broad variety of art museums from Basel to Philadelphia to NY to Paris to London to Turin, Florence, and Verona ... And I don't think we want to get too deeply into the "What is Art?" question here, but unless you're anxious to see everything as good art, then it's necessary to concede that some stuff is good art, some stuff is bad art, and some stuff is not art at all. (There are those who deny this, but they have their own agendas.) Professionally, it's the job of the art critic to make these distinctions; but they're distinctions that all of us must make according to our own criteria.

Making judgments of that sort doesn't "minimize" art in any way. Quite the opposite. I did definitely say that the characterization of this piece (whether art, not art, high art, or low art) was absolute horse ****. I feel that way not because I DON'T like art, but because I DO like art.