The exterior of the Hirshhorn — a circular cement fortress — could hardly be described as cinematic. The entire exterior of the Gordon Bunshaft-designed museum is temporarily awash in the glow of projection lights, providing the surface for an exciting new piece of public art: Doug Aitken Song 1
The artist, known for his outdoor film installations and art “happenings,” is projecting video all around the Hirshhorn’s cyllindrical, concrete 82-foot-tall exterior. It’ll take 11 high-definition video projectors to cover the whole space.
Because the piece covers the Hirshhorn’s entire outer surface, it’s impossible to see the whole of “SONG 1” at once — to get the full experience, you’ll have to walk around the building, drive or bike by it, fly over it.