Beautiful creature from another world Tilda Swinton out-weirded herself on Saturday by spending the entire day sleeping in a glass box in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Don’t be alarmed, it was art.
The exhibition, called “The Maybe” — which Swinton first performed at London’s Serpentine Gallery in 1995 — consists of Swinton showing up at the museum announced to sleep in a glass box supplied only with cushions and a water jug. Visitors to the museum are not allowed to feed or pet the Swinton, but they are free to wonder what she does when she has to use the bathroom.
If you missed Saturday’s performance, don’t fret; Swinton plans to reprise her artsy nap multiple times this year. A MoMA source tells Gothamist, “Museum staff doesn’t know she’s coming until the day of … Tilda Swinton will be doing unannounced, random performance art pieces sleeping in a glass box in the museum … [Saturday] is the first performance. Each performance lasts the whole day the museum is open.”
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Of the exhibition MoMA says, “An integral part of The Maybe‘s incarnation at MoMA in 2013 is that there is no published schedule for its appearance, no artist’s statement released, no museum statement beyond this brief context, no public profile or image issued. Those who find it chance upon it for themselves, live and in real — shared — time: now we see it, now we don’t.”
Swinton captured the attention of not only museum-goers but Twitter as well. Here are the 10 funniest tweets about Swinton’s latest acting gig.
Tilda Swinton is sleeping in a glass box on random days at MoMA in New York all year. And I just thought of a brilliant heist movie…
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) March 24, 2013
The lesson learned is that we have to think on our feet. At any moment, Tilda Swinton could just decide to nap in a box. We need to adapt.
— Julie Klausner (@julieklausner) March 24, 2013
‘Tilda Swinton Sleeping’ would resonate more if it featured my kids waking her hourly for water & to move her hat cuz it made a scary shadow
— Ana Gasteyer (@AnaGasteyer) March 24, 2013
Pretty cool that Tilda Swindon is sleeping in a glass box in midtown Manhattan, but @birbigs did it first. twitter.com/DanKennedy_NYC…
— Dan Kennedy(@DanKennedy_NYC) March 24, 2013
What if you go see Tilda Swinton and it’s just a heat lamp, water dish, grass and a twig perch and a guard who’s like, “Oh, she’s in there.”
— Julieanne Smolinski (@BoobsRadley) March 23, 2013
If Joaquin Phoenix came galloping into MoMA on a horse and kissed Tilda Swinton back to life, THAT would be a fucking exhibit.
— Damon Lindelof (@DamonLindelof) March 24, 2013
Someone wake up Tilda Swinton and tell her that Jaden Smith is at the Kids Choice Awards and is “ready to be slimed!”
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 24, 2013
Tilda Swinton’s really raising the bar on the whole ‘I’d go see that person read from the phonebook’ thing. #sheisworthit #whatsaphonebook
— Jennifer Ehle (@jennifer_ehle) March 23, 2013
“What the- Where the fuck am I??” – Tilda Swinton
— Richard Lawson (@rilaws) March 23, 2013
Woke up in a glass box being suckled by Tilda Swinton while a dumpy Midwestern couple in sweatpants watched
— Sarah Thyre (@SarahThyre) March 24, 2013
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[Photo Credit: JB Nicholas/Splash News]
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