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I’ve wanted to see Luna Luna, the world’s first art amusement park, since I heard about its existence many months ago. As both an artist and avid astrophile, I have been obsessed with the moon and celestial objects since I can remember. My great grandfather (whom I never met) was an antiques collector who passed down a wide array of antique postcards, some of which contained illustrations of the moon and pictures of people with a paper moon in the background. My dad would show me constellations at the beach in the summer and I created a series of oil paintings of the cosmos in college.
My mom, an art historian (it runs in the family) who worked at Sotheby’s in the ‘80s, came to visit me in the city in late December. We saw a brochure for Luna Luna advertising “Basquiat, Haring, Lichtenstein, Dalí, Hockney and More!” and she was immediately sold. This solidified my interest and I tried to make plans to see it. First, I was planning to go with a friend from college but our timing didn’t work out. Then, a random guy on Hinge invited me. Finally, my girlfriends got a group together to plan a time so I decided to join them. I brought my favorite weed gummies for everyone–Wyld Sativa Enhanced Cannabis Infused Raspberry Gummies–but only one other person ate them. Let’s call her my canna-date.
The issue is that I like to do my own thing at museums. I can’t do anything involving artistic consumption with more than one other person or I will eventually end up as the odd woman, out wandering around by myself taking my sweet time. When you add cannabis to the mix, I get hyper-focused and time truly gets away from me. So, as expected, I spent the first half exploring on my own. I very much enjoyed diving into the timeline of events leading up to the creation of Luna Luna. Having incorporated artistic movements such as Dadaism and Surrealism, along with the emergence of Vaudeville and Cabaret, this timeline helped set the stage for what was to come.
Luna Luna, created by André Heller, first opened in Hamburg in 1987 and featured rides and attractions designed by many popular artists at the time. It was meant to go on a global tour, but was delayed due to litigation and spent 35 years abandoned in the Texas desert. The park’s attractions have been meticulously restored without instruction manuals on how to put them back together. All they had to reference were original photographs from its inception.
Each attraction has its own museum label describing the artist's work with pictures of its original state and the moon design each artist made for the original park’s graphics. It even includes information on how they were first meant to be absorbed. I was highly amused that one of the original experiences, “Palace of the Winds” conceived by founder André Heller and artist Walter Navratil, included a live violin performance accompanied by farts!
“For artists of the post-World War II period, art was a powerful tool for questioning society’s values. It was a way to both engage with and escape the twentieth century’s conflicts and traumas. Luna Luna’s emphasis on joy and play, and its democratic values of audience participation, were born of a desire to channel the power of art to ensure that fascism could never again take hold of the public imagination.”
In the second half of the exhibition, you are immersed in the Luna Luna atmosphere where you don’t just view the attractions, you become a part of them. I happened upon a couple getting married in the Wedding Chapel which was originally designed so “anyone and everyone can marry what and whom they want.” At the time, this vision of marriage was a radical idea. It was illegal for same-sex couples to marry in Germany in 1987, but those rules did not apply here.
I got a text saying that my friends were in line for the Dalí experience, so I joined them when they were at the front of the very long line (one bonus to going with a group). In PonciliLand, you can feel like a kid again, playing with gigantic foam shapes, while actors appear in the main space every 20 minutes or so in fun, colorful costumes appear every. In one scene, three out of the four performers asked me to spin with them—it was so cute. This exhibit truly creates a sense of inclusion, togetherness, and playfulness. Why don’t we have more art amusement parks? Well, I guess that’s what Burning Man is for.
The gift shop has some really cool items. The archival T-shirts are from the original Luna Luna park so they are vintage, unique, and extremely expensive. I did get a tote bag though (not vintage).
If you’re reading this before March 16, you still have time to see Luna Luna at The Shed in Hudson Square! Next stops on the tour include: Dallas, Texas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Phoenix, Arizona.
