Hana Nobel
This Improv Everywhere experiment, like the other short clips we've viewed in class, interrupts the routine of everyday. The setting is Union Square, a lively and busy section of Manhattan filled with commuters, NYU students, and New York residents. This project makes a statement about an assumption of city dwellers, in this case New Yorkers. The podium's sign gives simple instructions- "Say Something Nice." This speaks to the insinuation that New Yorkers often don't pause from their daily rush to say something nice to a stranger. As is the theme in other viewed clips, many people apathetically continue on their way, walking right past the podium without notice or desire to know what is happening. Others are interested, but appear too nervous to break a social norm and amplify a compliment. Some do step up, however. Two of the most animated speakers are women from Dallas. It is important to note that they are from out of town. One may argue that these women are more excited about this project and willing to participate because they are not New Yorkers. They are also even more anonymous that any other New Yorker in this city that is not their home-therefore they may be even more comfortable breaking social norms.
This project was sponsored by stillspotting nyc, associated with the Guggenheim. Some information about the project is below:
http://stillspotting.guggenheim.org/about/
"While the vitality and stimulation of the urban environment can be pleasant, those living in or visiting densely populated areas, such as New York, can have wildly different experiences. The ever-present cacophony of traffic, construction, and commerce; the struggle for mental and physical space; and the anxious need for constant communication in person or via technology are relentless assaults on the senses. One wonders how locals and visitors can escape, find respite, and make peace with their space in this “city that never sleeps.”
The Guggenheim Museum responds with stillspotting nyc, a two-year multidisciplinary project that takes the museum’s Architecture and Urban Studies programming out into the streets of the city’s five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Every three to five months, “stillspots” are identified, created, or transformed by architects, artists, designers, composers, and philosophers into public tours, events, or installations."
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