Will Pappenheimer
Whitney Museum of American Art Gala Studio Party, November 19, 2014
Curated by Christiane Paul
Collection: Whitney Artport

Proxy, 5-WM2A is a virtual "designer drug" commissioned for the 2014 Whitney Gala and Studio Party and now in the Whitney's perminant collection. Street named, "Proxy" the drug was taken by guests on their mobile devices and tablets as an extensions of contemporary consciousness. The virtual experience was offered to guests via a pill image QR code and caused hallucinatory elements invade their mobile screens while viewing 360 degrees of the surrounding Whitney party. Proxy is a "dissociative" class designer drug app that was developed to help the Whitney community detach from its iconic Breuer location and transition to the new Renzo Piano designed building the meatpacking district. As are most designer drugs, Proxy is fashioned to mimic and improve on the effects of the real and escape classification as a controlled substance and, in this case, a controlled museum experience. The augmented reality application refreshes the museum visit, providing perceptual alterations of the real world and an ecstatic state of mind.