Untitled (Murder and Mayhem) 2011

Curator: Whoa. Orange shag carpet... it's like stepping into a bizarre, groovy dream. Editor: Indeed. What you're experiencing is Rirkrit Tiravanija's mixed-media installation, "Untitled (Murder and Mayhem)," created in 2011. The space, almost clinical in its stark white walls, becomes overwhelmed by these intense hues and repeating imagery. Curator: Murder and Mayhem... sounds ominous considering the playful shag. And are those…photographs all over the walls? Like obsessive wallpaper. Editor: Exactly. It’s an immersive environment. Note the photographic images silk-screened onto the walls, creating this repeating, almost frantic pattern. Tiravanija is playing with the juxtaposition of comfort and unease. These photographic fragments create a shared experience, but each contains a strong feeling. Curator: So the warmth of the carpet and harsh imagery compete? Do we know what these images are of? They feel… historic. There's a density to the feeling; are the pictures literal documentation of the themes? Editor: They are exactly that. Photos relating to those themes, murder and mayhem, layered throughout the space to engage us in how desensitized we become through media exposure. Notice the repetition— that echoes our daily media consumption. This is a trademark of his work, the audience’s active participation. In this work the audience actively considers and absorbs. Curator: The eye is drawn to those four framed panels centered on the main wall. Are they textual additions? Editor: Good eye. Yes, those contain screen-printed texts— the title “Murder and Mayhem” which functions almost as an invitation to reflect on these chaotic themes. The geometric placement in this field of imagery has a striking impact. It serves as a focal point while the images push toward the boundaries. The orange carpet creates a disjunction with the severity of it all. Curator: I suppose it pulls one into the uncanny nature. Thanks, now, instead of relaxing into shag, I'm stuck feeling strangely uncomfortable, like an unsettling nostalgia. But strangely compelled, all the same. Editor: It’s meant to linger. Tiravanija always challenges our perception and response to art, life, society— and the symbolic narratives within them. That interplay between form and content generates questions long after you leave this "groovy" room.