SPIN

SPIN photographer Ian Witlen has been documenting the spectacle that is Art Basel Miami Beach for half a decade, but he still stumbled upon a performance this year that left him rattled. One afternoon during the international art fair, a woman paraded through a courtyard with a bowl of sugar, sat on the ground and dumped the sticky granules over her body. "She pulled out a diabetes kit for testing blood sugar and began piercing herself with the needles," Witlen says. "She was just letting the needles hang there."

Ah, kids. This year, for the first time, though, the musical offerings at the event threatened to eclipse the art. The 2011 fest featured a wild Black Lips gig that was followed by a memorable DJ set from LCD Soundsystem's Pat Mahoney and James Murphy, and performances from Yelle (pictured above), TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone, and Yelawolf. Enjoy a tour of the craziness through Witlen's lens here.

Rich Aucion, bringing his indie pop to Vagabond.

Large-scale sculpture at the event's main convention center.

TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone, making one of many appearances.

Art fans taking in the shows, one with a handful of mutilated Barbie dolls. "You get very interesting people roaming around," says Witlen.

Artist taking part in a live painting event. The pieces were auctioned off at the end of the night.

LCD Soundsystem's Pat Mahoney and James Murphy, DJing.

Black Lips fans, after St. Pe passed around a bottle of Sailor Jerry's rum.

"Watch Your Dubstep" by Desire Obtain Cherish at SCOPE(left) and Coby Kennedy's piece, Supply and Demand.

Yelawolf plays a 1:30 a.m. set to a sold out crowd.

Black Lips, before spraying the audience with beer during their rowdy set.

Funny man Reggie Watts, hanging in the VIP section at Grand Central.

Pharrell Williams with the Overthrow's Alexis Van Ess Mincolla at Basel Castle.

"This sculpture was definitely one of my favorites," Witlen says.

Guests at Basel Castle.

Dolls, painted by various artists.

"Heroes X Villains put on a high energy hip-hop-meets-dance show," Witlen says. The group whips the crowd into a frenzy ahead of Yelawolf.

N.A.D.A. Art Fair at the Deuville Hotel in Miami Beach.

Parisian duo Housse de Racket opened for Yelle at Filmore Miami Beach.

Pieces by Ron English at SCOPE Art Fair.

London-based architect David Adjaye won the Design Miami designer of the year award for Genesis, his first large-scale work.