Mirror Carousel, 2005 | Singing Canaries Mobile, 2009 | Untitled (Slide), 2011

The work of Belgian artist Carsten Höller is the focus of an exhibit at New York’s New Museum (through January 15, 2012). The unorthodox show is full of art that you can climb on, stick your head into, smell, eat, and even ride.

Untitled (Slide), 2011

Museum-goers can hop into a slide which shoots them down three stories of the building. “It’s impossible not to smile when you come down,” Höller says.

Aquarium, 1996

Höller was an agricultural scientist before becoming an artist, and many of the pieces in the show reflect that background. This giant fish tank has three stations that allow you to can lie on your back and stick your head into an indentation in the glass. The fish tank surrounds your head, so it feels as if you’re inside the aquarium. “I'm fascinated by the impossibility of understanding the animal,” Höller explains. “They seem so close. At the same time they're so distant.”

Animal Group, 2011

The brightly-colored animal sculptures in this series are life-sized.

The Forest, 2002

In this experiential piece, visitors watch a moving forest scene through goggles outfitted with tiny video screens for each eye. The video eventually shifts so that one eye sees movement in one direction while the other sees movement in a different, opposite direction, causing disorientation.

Giant Psycho Tank, 1999

In perhaps one of the most ambitious pieces in the exhibition, visitors can step into a sensory deprivation tank and float in a saline pool.

A look inside Giant Psycho Tank.