I poked my camera lens into the chain link fence around the Washington Square Park renovation. They’ve removed the fountain, planning to center the new one with the arch. This is about as good a view as you can get from the ground. Most of the surrounding fence is covered with black tarp. Some NYU Flickrite probably has a good shot from one of the surrounding building.
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.
I was told by a park employee that the mural is restored every so often under the supervision of Keith’s brother. The last time was three years ago. Harring died in 1990.
