NO DOUBT YOU’VE noticed your kids’ schoolteachers grinning from ear-to-ear today, which means spring break is upon us, and the time is right for the young and young at heart to head to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for the return of Pipilotti Rist’s dreamy, thoroughly immersive light and video installations, Pixel Forest and Worry Will Vanish. Both works opened this weekend and will stay up through Labor Day.
Pixel Forest (2016) was custom fabricated by Rist and her collaborator Kaori Kuwabara to fit the square footage of the museum’s Cullinan Hall. It consists of 3,000 LED lights encased in resin spheres and hung on cables dangling from the ceiling like tendrils from tree tops in an electric rainforest. The lights change constantly — sometimes gradually, and other times suddenly — bathing visitors in unpredictable yet soothing waves of color as they stroll through the environment.
Meanwhile, Worry Will Vanish (2014) is a two-channel video projected on the South and West walls of Cullinan Hall of recognizable and occasionally unrecognizable images of the human body, both outside and inside, morphing into similarly mysterious and digitally manipulated footage of leaves, oceans, and stars. The video’s soundtrack is a pleasant combination of straightforward folk guitar strumming; squeaks and squeals from a variety of unnamed insects and mammals; and padded synths, giving the installation the vibe of a chill-out room at a rave.
Regarding her work, Rist says, “I am interested in the combination of nature and technology; these are not two different things.” Is there a difference between a light-emitting diode and a sunbeam as it passes through foliage and transforms the colors we see? For those willing to contemplate such questions, the MFAH has provided pillows on which to recline and revel in how Rist is able to transform a basic gallery space into a galaxy of light and sound.
A father and daughter viewing Rist's installations (photo by The Storyhive)
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A BELOVED SNACK brand is being extra kind by bringing its first — free! — Secret Farmers Market to M-K-T Heights this Saturday. Houstonians will have a chance to fill up their baskets with fresh whole foods including veggies, fruits, nuts and grains on a first come, first served basis March 11 from 9am-3pm.
This is the second year that KIND Snacks, a company committed to providing people with both nutrient-dense products and the nutrition education, has hosted the pop-up in New York — but the first time in Houston. It is part of an initiative to raise awareness about Americans’ low intake of healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables and nuts.
KIND promises the markets are packed with “surprise and delightful” secrets to unlock while learning about the company’s longstanding nutrition commitment through an experiential, interactive and educational experience. Unlike an open air market, at Houston's M-K-T in the Heights neighborhood, upon opening the hidden door, visitors will be transported into its Secret KIND Farmers Market, where they can shop fresh, whole ingredients free-of-charge.
According to a KIND spokesperson, 88 percent of Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. With its farmers market pop-ups, KIND is aiming to spotlight one of the nation’s biggest nutrition problems. Closer to home, recently the CDC reported nearly half of Texas kids don’t eat their vegetables. Worse, instead of eating fruits, more kids are slurping sugar-packed drinks. Here’s your chance to bring them along and get in on the fun!
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