“The Shed’s architecture offers incredible possibilities in terms of space, light, sound, intimacy, and scale to realize the full potential of Luna Luna,” describes the institution’s artistic director, Alex Poots. “Our ability to open a connecting wall between The Shed’s largest gallery space and our monumental 17,000-square-foot, 115-foot-tall McCourt space enables audiences to start their Luna Luna experience in the gallery and seamlessly flow into a carnivalesque environment creating a 30,000-square-foot contiguous experience.” To create that atmosphere, Poots has engaged new creative partners: British theater company Punchdrunk, Puerto Rico–based performance artist collective Poncilí Creación, and New York–based lighting designer Jon Torres. New music will be curated by Mattis With (Philip Glass composed the original soundtrack), and the organizers promise “special concerts” not yet announced.
Originally ideated as something between an exhibition and a festival, Heller’s Luna Luna aimed to democratize the work of some of the biggest artists of the 1980s. “By creating a group show in the format of a fairground, Heller advanced the idea of what the exhibition could be,” explains Poots. Ticket prices for Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, which start at $44 plus fees for an adult entry, are far higher than they were in Hamburg. However, Goldberg and team hope its new life shares the same sentiment for the public.
Photo: Courtesy of Luna Luna
Thus far, “visitors aren’t just curious about the art—they’re engaging deeply with the story and history behind Luna Luna,” Goldberg observes. “Our long-term goal is to collaborate with contemporary artists to create new, rideable attractions, expanding the Luna Luna collection with today’s most prolific talents.”
