Improv Everywhere: Subway Art Gallery

On the same day Improv Everywhere ran their MP3 experiment here on Roosevelt Island, Agents of IE also set up an underground art gallery on the subway platform giving residents and visitors a taste of an earlier event they ran at another "platform gallery". As opposed to that earlier experiment we did not get the full black tie treatment (see linked post & video) but the photos and "art descriptions" of the local installations were still fun to read and see today.

Thanks to fleepy_99 from Flickr for permission to use her photos and text. To see her complete photo set of the show link here.

"This piece, inspired by the "The Treachery of Images" pipe painting by René Magritte, mirrors that famous work with the suggestion that although the sign claims the availability of assistance through the mediation of an intercom, the assistance which is described will not be forthcoming, just as the pipe in the painting was not, in fact, a pipe: just an emotionally unsatisfying painting of a pipe."

"This surrealist piece plays on the idea that the mystery of what is inside sparks the imagination more than the reality of what is inside. Perhaps concealing an electrical panel, or labyrinthine underground passageways, this locked space nevertheless fascinates us, introducing the possibility that the unseen space contains hidden wonders"

"These speakers, eerily silent, engage the viewer in a peculiar non-discourse as a commentary on the ineffable nature of technologically-mediated communication within the quasi-unreal space of commuting.
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"Intended to be purely ornamental in contrast to the escalators, these antiquated sequentially raised steps draw the viewer to inescapable conclusions about the mechanically-mediated nature of movement in technological society."

Improv Everywhere Posts Video of Island MP3 Event

In what was the most colorful event and most participatory for non residents ever coming to Roosevelt Island the Improv Everywhere MP3 Event was a overwhelming sucess. Have fun watching the above video.

Initial Reactions to the MP3 Event

Experiencing an Improv Everywhere event can vary depending on your knowledge of what is going on and what is yet to come. That fact certainly affected my and my family views when we settled down on the Riverwalk Commons lawn this past Saturday to watch MP3 Experiment 6. My wife and I had watched a number of videos from past “scenes” including past MP3 events. My young children had not. I purposely did not participate so I can experience the events with no preconceptions as best I could.

Seeing approximately 2000 plus individuals spread out from Blackwell House down to 425 Main Street in various primary colors was amusing. My kids commented that Red must be winning as they saw more red shirts that anything else. When the event started our kids were very amused. Not scared in any way thankfully. Although during the high five sequence one young woman did chase my 7 year old a bit and he was a bit confused but he had fun with it.

A young participant blogger, named Megan, wrote online today the following which I found most intuitive as most Improv Everywhere events seem to go for reactions of the locals. Here the locals were out numbered by almost 50 to 1 for the areas overwhelmed by “agents”:

“Since we were the overwhelming majority on the island on Saturday (participants were dressed in red, blue, green or yellow t-shirts with white undershirts), it didn't feel like we were putting on much of a show for the few bystanders around us. The few who were on the island and not participating got a lot of attention though, as there weren't enough of them to go around when we were instructed to "give a high five to a stranger" or "follow someone's every move who is not participating". In this respect I was a little disappointed with the overall dynamic of the event, because way back in 2006 when I watched the report on .mp3 experiment III there were far fewer participants than there were bystanders in Central Park, so the effect of having a "slightly too large a group acting together to be normal" as being surprising, suspicious or unnerving to more bystanders was significantly diminished. Though I imagine that to the handful of bystanders on Roosevelt Island an army of 2000 primary-colored people marching in silence across the island was pretty intense, this event felt very much like we were doing it for ourselves, rather than performing for the enjoyment of others.”

The pictures on Flickr (1,2,3,4) linked from the Improv Everywhere site are great.

A few comments I have seen and received. The Tram staff was almost overwhelmed as they were the sole direct exit to Manhattan from the Island. As the event started at 4:00 pm it hit during a Goldwater shift change and a few residents thought a greater PSD presence was needed for traffic direction purposes. I can’t comment as I never ventured South of the Riverwalk Commons.

I wonder what the 2000 plus visitors thought of Southpoint park and what their reactions would be to the FERI approved Louis Kahn design as the 360 degree views these folks enjoyed on Saturday would be quite different if the expected trees were in place. Since island residents overall are not a concern to FERI and the architects I wonder what these unbiased visitors would think. Too bad I could not conduct a snap poll but my kids wanted dinner.

Note: Link through the photos to the photographers Flickr page for that photo.

Long Holiday Weekend: Only Queensbound Subway Stopping at Roosevelt Island

Only the Queensbound F Train will be making stops this weekend through Tuesday, 5/26, at 5:00am on Roosevelt Island so if you are coming over for the below listed events and need to return to any borough plan on taking the Tram to get off the island if you did not arrive by car.

Affected events:
(1) Saturday 5/23, 4:00 pm Improv Everywhere MP3 Six
(2) Sunday 5/31 Adorama Tweetup / Shootout
(3) Sunday 5/31 Queensboro Bridge Centennial Events at the Visitors Kiosk and RIVAA
(4) Sunday 5/31, 9:00 pm Centennial Fireworks

You would have thought for a holiday weekend the MTA could have delayed this stoppage as it must be affecting events and festivities up and own the F Train line.

Improv Everywhere: Primary Colors to Invade Roosevelt Island

Well not exactly an invasion but the Improv Everywhere participants dressed in red, blue, yellow and green shirts, will be scattered about SouthTown on Roosevelt Island this coming Saturday May 23rd at 4:00 pm.

Based on the above map their "agents" will be anywhere from between the 425 Main St- Riverwalk building North to the Southern exposures of the Eastwood and the Rivercross buildings.

For full instructions on how to participate go to their web site.

Is Roosevelt Island, Improv Everywhere's Next Target?

The great thing about local niche bloggers is we like to learn what is going on and scheduled for our neighborhoods and to then let our neighbors know all about it. The bad thing is a concern regarding ruining a great surprise or a good thing. Improv Everywhere has indicated on their site that they plan an Mp3 event on May 23rd at 4pm on Roosevelt Island. Hence my dilemna.

What's an Improv Anywhere Mp3 experiment you ask? Let's just say it's a lot of people (a lot) wearing headphones and doing what the voice them to do. And watch out if you are in the area they are told to be in. Link here.

Knowing that the Roosevelt Islander and I both love writing about such events I am hoping we don't ruin the fun. Even Frank Farance of RIRA even knows about the event and has posted a comment on the Improv Everywhere blog itself about his interest. Although Frank wants to make sure they get the right permits so PSD doesn't try to disrupt the impromptu gathering that I believe is the whole point of the exercise.

So read this blog post, then forget about about it, but watch for the fun that day. Can you do that?

Frozen in Place: Grand Central Terminal

I usually have not posted items unrelated to Roosevelt Island but I saw this video on Gothamist on Friday, February 1, 2008, and it is perhaps the single most amazing public performance art event I have seen in NYC that left my mouth gaping and wanting to applaud even though it was a video.

You must simply watch for yourself and you will want to forward the link to the Gothamist page (or even this page) to your friends. Very, very cool.

Check out the home web page for Improv Everywhere and their link for this event.