It’s coming up on the fifth anniversary of the August 14th, 2003 electrical blackout. On that evening I took my compact VHS camera out on the streets of the East Village, and kept it on while I wandered the neighborhood. Much of the tape consists of a dark blurry mess as the camera searches for something to focus on. But I did manage to extract some interesting video and audio. And though the walking footage may make those susceptible to motion-sickness nauseous, I think it does capture the spirit of the night. I combined this with recent interviews in Tompkins Square Park, where I asked people to tell me their 2003 Blackout stories.
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On warm sunny Sundays, congeros gather in Tompkins Square Park, East Village, NYC.
As a quick remedy to all the editing and fussing over my Toy Tower videos, this video is simple and uncut, shot late in the afternoon, up on the blog before midnight.
From artist Phil Kline: Every year since 1992 I’ve presented
Unsilent Night, an outdoor ambient music piece for an infinite number
of boomboxes. It’s like a Christmas caroling party except that we
don’t sing, but rather carry the music, each of us playing a separate
track that is a voice in the piece. In effect, we become a city-block-
long sound system. In New York, the event begins at Washington Square
Park and we walk to Tompkins Square Park.
Join us and bring a boombox, or anything that will blast a cassette,
CD, or Mp3. (Cassettes sound the coolest, but we realize cassette
players are getting scarce now.) The more tracks we play, the bigger
and more amazing the sound is. In recent years, Unsilent Nights in
New York and San Francisco have attracted crowds of over a thousand
people, with hundreds of boomboxes. It’s spectacular. If you’d like
to participate, please e-mail the contact listed for your city for
instructions. If you’d like to participate but don’t have a boombox
or a music player with speakers, you can just show up and join the
parade. Everyone is an important part of the procession. Help us make
a big (and joyful) noise. This is always a free event and all ages
are welcome.
Unsilent Night has spread around the world. Phil Kline is a unique
artist whose work employs music in many mediums and contexts, ranging
from experimental electronics, performance art and sound
installations to songs, choral, theater, and chamber music.
