TAKE A RIDE WITH ME.

Emma Hoareau
March 8, 2015

Carsten Höller Golden Mirror Carousel, 2014

@ NGV Melbourne

One of the highlights of my trip to Melbourne was visiting the National Gallery of Victoria

and getting to ride the golden carousel installation. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it

questions the idea of the art gallery as a form of ‘entertainment’, by asking people to go on a

ride they would usually enjoy at a funfair or theme park.

And once you take a seat on the carousel, you also realise that this is a slower experience,

both physically and metaphorically – art isn’t about a fast-fix for the masses – it’s about making

you re-think the way you see the world around you. The carousel slows you and your mind

down, the rhythmic speed at which it turns was almost hypnotic.