Carsten Höller's Revolving Hotel Room.

by Julia Bainbridge

Friday night, some girlfriends and I had a sleepover. Yes--nightgowns, dancing to Beyoncé, cocktails, and nail polish. After a couple of months of political and economic stress, we decided reverting back to our early teens was a good way to just have fun.

This winter, some art lovers are sleeping over at New York's Guggenheim Museum. Located in the museum's rotunda, Revolving Hotel Room is an installation created by Stockholm artist Carsten Höller, sponsored by the Waldorf=Astoria Collection. (Interestingly enough, Höller worked as a scientist studying insect behaviors before he began making art in the late 1980s.) More high art than lip-synching with hairbrush microphones, this is quite the distinguished sleepover (compared to mine, at least).

Höller's piece is made of four connected glass discs--complete with double bed, dining table and chairs, and some storage space--that slowly move around each other. When the museum closes and the public has dispersed, guests have both the hotel room and the theanyspacewhatever exhibition to themselves, with security personnel on premises throughout the evening. When ready to hit the hay--or, rather, the wood, leather, silk, feathers, cotton, horse hair, latex, acrylic glass, metal, and motor--guests will be provided with a complimentary mineral water supply in a private mini-refrigerator. Complimentary room service breakfast is also available.

Unfortunately, "Hotel Guggenheim" has sold out, but perhaps we'll get reports from some of the lucky few who revolved around its rotunda one night. Until then, there are always pillow fights.

Further reading:
* Revolving Hotel Room
* Word of Mouth: The buzz worldwide