"And Then I Said..." (Bench Stories):
“And Then I Said…” (Bench Stories) is a temporary, site-specific audio installation. It consists of two sound boxes placed on benches in New York City, specifically for the Art in Odd Places 2011: RITUAL festival. One sound box will be placed in Union Square and the other on the subway platform of the uptown F/M 14th Street station.
(Bench Stories) explores the intersection of public rituals and norms of pedestrian life with the personal connections that happen within it. New York’s pedestrian culture is infamous for its overwhelming masses of people, many times cut-off from others, each immersed in a separate agenda. However, when paused on a park bench, in the subway, or on the street we can open up our bubble and allow for the possibility of connection with another. This work focuses on the moments of anticipation, tension, power and vulnerability when we connect with others in public. (Bench Stories) will facilitate a moment for participants to contemplate the conflation of public and private space through interacting with the work.
Press:
Hyperallergic, DNAinfo, Jackalope Ranch
Participate/Collaborate:
For this work to be fulfilled, I am searching for wide-ranging participation. You are invited (and encouraged!) to record your story and be a part of this work. I am looking for stories where you have connected with another person in public space, whether it is sitting in a park, on the subway, on the street, in a threshold, or a street corner. Specifically, these stories should recall fleeting connections with others: non-verbal moments of sexual tension and anticipation, an encounter that left you with butterflies, a time when you felt overpowered, or touched (physically or not) by a stranger or someone you know in public. These are the private moments where you have felt vulnerable, tense, powerful, or nervous; they are fleeting connections in public space. For examples of these moments in visual and story form, see The In-between project. **Note: Stories should NOT use proper nouns, i.e. no names of people or places. Rather use pronouns: he/she, the park, the bench etc. But please use as many details/emotions/descriptors as you like. Stories do not have to take place in New York City. Stories should be around 1-2 minutes long.
To submit your own story:
You are still welcome (and encouraged!) to submit a story for future iterations and continuations of the project. Please call: (347) 762-1839, and record after the beep. There will be no message or greeting, just a quick beep once you are connected.
Installation Dates and Times:
Union Square: Sat Oct 1: 2-5 PM; Sun Oct 2: 1-4 PM; Mon Oct 3: 1-3 PM; Sun Oct 9: 1-4 PM
6th Ave, 14th St Uptown F/M Station: Sat Oct 1: 2-5 PM; Sun Oct 2: 1-4 PM; Wed Oct 5: 6-7:30 PM; Sun Oct 9: 1-4 PM
Note: Please stay tuned for how to participate in this project as it moves forward in the future.