Animal Collective & Danny Perez’s Transverse Temporal Gyrus @ Guggenheim Museum, NYC 3/4/10

No, there was no live musical performance. Yes, the dudes (with Deakin but no Panda) were there in bunny costumes that must've earned a 1,001 Donnie Darko reference points. Lives presumably were changed (in direct proportion with amount of psychedelics ingested), minds presumably were not: Animal Collective convinced 1,500 folks (not counting the early show) to part with $30, and the Guggenheim Museum to turn over its rotunda, to further enable the utter indulgence of their patented brand of conceptual trippiness, in conjunction with the projected visual effects of their longtime collaborator Danny Perez. We sent JessicaAmaya to capture the magic: she reports there were 30-some speakers blasting the pre-recorded soundtrack, folks in facepaint, an icicle installation, and an impromptu 11PM group scream. People roamed freely, laid on their back, drank absinthe. Rhapsodic or parodic depending on who you're probing, "site-specific performance piece that will transform the museum’s rotundainto a kinetic, psychedelic environment," according to the liner notes. Either way, Jessica's photos make for some fine eye-candy. Have a pass.