“Psycho” on the Roof of The Met

· by · in Architecture, Art, Ephemeral New York, Sculptural Art, Things to See. ·

“Revenge is sweet and not fattening.”
—Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

Titled Transitional Object (PsychoBarn) this year’s site-specific art installation on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden is the concept of British artist Cornelia Parker (1956–). It opened to the public in April and will be on view through Halloween, October 31st. How fitting! Think of it as a monumental sculpture. It was inspired by three sources. One is the rural red barn; the second is the large, spooky house where Norman Bates lived with his mother in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller, Psycho, the third is a 1925 painting by American artist, Edward Hopper (1882–1967), “House by the Railroad.” There is just such a house with a mansard roof in Haverstraw, NY that Mr. Hopper used for his painting.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

The 30-foot tall sculpture is also a giant recycling effort because it is made from the red wood siding and corrugated metal roof from a rural barn in Schoharie, NY that was demolished. The window frames, front porch and trim were fashioned from the barn’s interior wood. First impressions lead a visitor think it is a genuine house. The fact is that only two sides are real, as they were in Psycho. The entire structure—scaled down from what was used in the movie, which was scaled down from the real house—is held in place by scaffolding and weighted barrels. At once genuine but also false, Transitional Object (PsychoBarn) sits high above Central Park, providing a curious contrast to the Manhattan skyline.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.”
—Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“Give them pleasure. The same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

You tourist guide Phil at “Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“Fear isn’t so difficult to understand. After all, weren’t we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It’s just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“I’ve never been very keen on women who hang their sex round their neck like baubles. I think it should be discovered. It’s more interesting to discover the sex in a woman than it is to have it thrown at you, like a Marilyn Monroe or those types. To me they are rather vulgar and obvious.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“Blondes make the best victims. They’re like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” by Cornelia Parker at The Met.

“A glimpse into the world proves that horror is nothing other than reality.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

The supports and anchors for “Transitional Object (PsychoBarn).”

“I’ve never been very keen on women who hang their sex round their neck like baubles. I think it should be discovered. It’s more interesting to discover the sex in a woman than it is to have it thrown at you, like a Marilyn Monroe or those types. To me they are rather vulgar and obvious.”
—Alfred Hitchcock

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Psycho, Edward Hopper, Cornelia Parker, Norman Bates, Sculpture, Transitional Object, Barn, Walk About New York, Specialty Tours, Alfred Hitchcock,

“Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)” seen on the roof of The Met from Central Park.

Include a tour of The Met on your next Specialty Tour that will be designed just for you. The west side of The Met can be seen on our Central Park Walking Tour. Take the Tour; Know More!

ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT, EXCEPT NOTED QUOTES, © THE AUTHOR 2016

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