Dancing in the “Spotlit Shadows”

Originally posted on Casual Muse.

BROOKLYN, NY – What do you get when you mix together baby powder, a shadow booth and house music? A wild art party of course. Last Thursday night, I attended the second installment of  the McCarren LOVES ART! dance party series at the McCarren Hotel & Pool in Brooklyn. Local artists and creatives flocked to Williamsburg to partake in the rooftop party, “Spotlit Shadows” — an installation created by the event’s feature artist Mikel Glass.

The moment I stepped into the hotel’s dim rooftop lounge, Sheltering Sky, I felt as if I had slipped down a rabbit hole. I was transported into this bizarre world — bizarre in a great way.  Guests were entranced by the tunes played by DJ Rob Sperte. There was a Dark Prince and a Light Princess (who was covered in baby powder) at opposite sides of the room.  The prince, performance artist and filmmaker Gage Cass, stood beside a large shadow booth which welcomed guests to dance inside as if no one was watching, revealing only their dancing silhouettes to the audience outside the booth.  The shadows were accompanied by stellar projections by video director Kurt Ritta.   The princess, model turned street artist Ellen Turrietta, danced in an open booth under bright lights, seducing her audience to dance along with her. It was awesome.   I spoke with LOVE ART!’s founder Matthew Messinger about his vision that brought this series to life. It wasn’t long before he pushed me to finally bust a move in the shadow booth.

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A whimsical spirit took over me as I found myself dancing with strangers. That was the main point of the installation  —  for guests to interact with not only the art but also each other. Glass explained the theme of introvert vs extrovert. The shadow booth was  for the shyer guests while the light booth was for the bolder party animals. “It’s all about fun. I just want to have fun!” Glass told me as he demonstrated  how his Steampunked ZCFDM (Zeitgeist Capturing, Filtration and Disbursement Machine) worked. The ZCFDM was the coolest thing ever, by the way. The strange contraption spun around as it captured the energy of the room (FYI: there was A LOT of energy).

When  I asked what his muse was, Glass replied “Taking chances!”  For me, the night was a great reminder of that sentiment.

This post was originally published on Casual Muse. Visit CasualMuse.com for more inspiring stories about creatives and artists.