Meredith Monk at The Armory Show
By Melissa Bent
Last week amid The Armory Show and international art swirlings and whirlings an evening of fine food and company took place on Museum Mile. The celebration was to commemorate Meredith Monk’s seminal performance Juice: A Theatre Cantata at The Guggenheim Museum 40 years ago. Thursday night’s performance was titled Ascension Variations.
Cocktails and dinner were held down the street from The Guggenheim at The National Academy Museum, which I am embarrassed to say I had never been to before.
I said a few hellos and then wandered about the museums exhibition called American Waters, which was a collection of works celebrating the 400th anniversary of Hudson, Fulton and Champlain. The cocktails and menu were a collaboration between Rirkrit Tiravanija and Margot Henderson. I am huge fan of both Tiravanija and Henderson who runs Arnold & Henderson catering and The Rochelle Canteen in London’s Shoreditch. I went to an amazing wedding reception at the Rochelle School two years ago for my friends Duone & Max Bellhouse and ate at the Canteen when it first opened in 2006.
After the cocktails guests were escorted upstairs where two grand rooms were filled with no fuss long tables, an art world standard. The fresh duck pate and perfectly dressed beet salad were followed by a delightful and humorous tureen of Monkfish stew, which guests ladled themselves. I was sitting in between Cecily Brown who is about to birth a baby girl and Anton Kern.
As guests Angus Cook (my date) and Jonathan Caplan chatted with Hilton Als and Nicolai Ourousaff the wine and water flowed. There was an element of excitement as toasts were made and guests snatched up deliciously ripe pears and wedges of crudely cut cheese for dessert. We all hurried out and over to The Guggenheim where the rotunda had already filled with ticket holders seated on the floor and perched on collapsable sketch stools.
The performance was amazing, part harmony and part ululation. Pure magic with guests being allowed to wander up the sloped floors to see the show and then gently pushed aside as the singers reclaimed their positions. Everyone seemed enthralled, including the musicians Matt Sweeney and Andrew W.K who were both accompanied by their stunning women, Miss Annabel Mehran who was kadringling over preparations for her 30th extravaganza on Saturday night and Cherie Pourtabib who was in full length leopard and looked marvelous.
There was champagne at the end and then we strolled to The Carlyle for a nightcap with Jonathan & Angus, Patti and Elizabeth Peyton. A perfect ending to a perfect evening.
Merci M. Monk!
– Melissa
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