Art Basel is less than two months away, and the 2012 edition is on course to turn Miami into a living museum of publicly accessible art. In what may be the wildest installation of the year, Lords South Beach hotel will be turning into a massive, macabre pet. The LGBT landmark will be transformed from top to bottom into Gypsy, a giant black dog designed by artist Desi Santiago.
See also:
- UR1 Festival Brings Giant Laser Beam to Art Basel
- Art Basel 2012 Satellite Installations Are Turning Miami's Waterways Into Art Galleries
- New Art Basel Satellite Fair in Brickell To Install a Swimming Pool in the Miami River
Think of her as Clifford's evil cousin. The creepy canine would fit right into Miami's current spooky Halloween theme, but she won't make her way to South Beach until December, greeting guests and passers-by from the 3rd through the 9th. The piece, titled Perrier® Presents: The Black Lords at South Beach, is said to be a multi-sensory experience, complete with giant paws over the entrance, a looming head atop the courtyard and a whipping tail in the back.
And Gypsy isn't just a cute pooch. She's also a prognosticator extraordinaire who'll be telling fortunes to visiting guests. People can pose simple questions and she'll give prophesies using her laser eyes, smoke and various sounds of her panting, running and barking.
Gypsy herself will be made up of construction netting inflatable parts, and other lo-fi ingredients.
The experience is a partnership between BOFFO, Perrier Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, and Lords' founder Brian Gorman.
Gypsy is the largest piece thus far by Santiago, who's been dubbed a New York Times "Artist in the Moment." His work has been featured at MoMA PS1, Envoy Enterprises, and recently, at the Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs exhibition in Paris.
If the visuals are any indication, Gypsy's sure to take South Beach by storm. It'll be harder to predict the reactions of the guests staying at the Lords, who'll have the not-for-everyone honor of staying inside a piece of art that's, well, kinda spooky. But hey -- as a tourist, you couldn't ask for a better landmark.
Follow Cultist on Facebook and Twitter @CultistMiami.
