H.2.N.Y. Self-constructing Self-destroying Tinguely Machine, Museum of Modern Art, 17th March 1960 2006

Curator: At first glance, it appears almost chaotic, a delicate tangle of lines and shapes. Editor: Indeed. We’re looking at Michael Landy's "H.2.N.Y. Self-constructing Self-destroying Tinguely Machine, Museum of Modern Art, 17th March 1960". Curator: Landy's creation meticulously renders the ephemeral performance of Jean Tinguely’s self-destroying machine. The use of graphite on paper emphasizes process and documentation. Editor: And the event itself caused quite a stir. The spectacle, staged at MoMA, embodied the anxieties around technology and consumerism in postwar America. Curator: The drawing becomes a form of preservation, challenging the art world's obsession with permanence. It's a copy of an action of destruction. Editor: It makes you wonder how the museum context transforms a piece like this. Does institutional endorsement mute its critical edge, or amplify its message? Curator: Ultimately, Landy urges us to reconsider the art object, highlighting the labour and the spectacle. Editor: A fascinating intersection of performance and its afterlife, mediated through Landy's intricate craft.