Pa. art exhibition closed after 3 patrons fall ill

[September 30, 2013]  PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Authorities have temporarily shut down a room-sized art installation in Pittsburgh after three visitors reported seizure-like symptoms.

An 18-year-old woman was treated at the scene Sunday afternoon after reporting seizure-like symptoms at the downtown work titled "Zee" by Austrian artist Kurt Hentschlager, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (http://bit.ly/18jk44i) reported.

District EMS Chief Paul Sabol said she was the third person to report feeling ill since the exhibition opened Friday.

Before entering, patrons must sign a waiver that describes the exhibit as "intense stroboscopic light in combination with thick artificial fog, resulting in a loss of spatial orientation." People with photosensitive epilepsy, breathing or heart problems, migraines, claustrophobia or anxiety are warned not to go inside.

Sabol said the exhibit will be temporarily closed and changes could be made before it reopns. Henstchlager couldn't be reached for comment.

The installation has appeared in other venues in the city previously, and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust spokeswoman Shaunda Miles said some patrons reported seizures in those places as well.

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Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com/

[Associated Press]

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