Annie Leibovitz knows how to capture the spirit of an artist in her legendary photographs. Wandering through the American Music exhibit at the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) was pure pleasure today.
Intimate glimpses into the personas of Willie Nelson, Iggy Pop, B.B. King, Lucinda Williams, John Lee Hooker…and the exhibit was further enhanced by an audio tour narrated by Annie herself. Hearing her voice while looking at her work was an amazing experience.
The technology used for the audio tour is simply a cell phone. You can bring your own, or borrow one for free from the front desk. Dial the phone number and then the four-digit code on the label next to each photograph, and you have Annie as your guide.
But AMOA didn’t stop with just the audio guide; they also provide iPOD listening stations loaded with music created by the artists in the photographs. I couldn’t decide which I liked more…the audio tour or the iPOD. They both added so many dimensions to the exhibit for me.
In the next iteration, I’d love to see the audio guide and the music combined on the iPOD or other MP3 devices. Aren’t iPODs as ubiquitious as cell phones yet? Okay…okay…I live in a dream world. But some dreams do come true!
Kudos to AMOA for a job well done. I spent far more time exploring the exhibit and engaging with the photographs because of the audio guide and the iPOD listening stations. I encourage you to experience this exhibit while you still can. It ends on August 7, 2005.