Art in public spaces is one of my areas of interest in studying critical theory. Catching people off guard with an impromptu performance is clever, immediate and impactful. In one of the best public-space/improv performaces I’ve seen in a long time, Improv Everywhere freezes Grand Central Station for five minutes. Watch the video. I could go on about the questions it raises about time, space, capitalist obsession, the persistence of futurist ideology.
Instead I’ll appreciate the performance on the basis of its ability to connect to an audience without actively engaging them. I am fascinated by the fact that commuters stopped and essentially participated in this freezing of time, instead of zipping through and pretending like nothing was going on. The curiosity and pause reach their pinnacle in an uproarious applause when the ‘agents’ resume their movement.
Impressed upon me is the significance of such a simple gesture (holding still for five minutes) inspiring applause in a public space like Grand Central Station. The audience had five minutes to establish that they were, in fact, an audience, and through conversation and questioning they reasoned what it was they were witnessing and collectively determined that its ending should be met with an appreciative gesture.
Nice work, Improv Everywhere. Wish I could have witnessed it firsthand.
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