NYC ROADTRIP

Chris Burden

100 Years (version #1, ps1, nov 2009), a traveling exhibition produced  by P.S. 1 and Performa, as part of Perfroma 09, comprises important moments of the last century of performance art history. The exhibition, which changes from venue to venue, contains film, photography, artifacts and audio, and is intended to be an archival jackpot for students, educators and others. Also included is a special survey of performance video organized by Electronic Arts Intermix, a New York-based nonprofit that is a leading resource for video art. – This is gonna be amazing!

 

 

Crew member Alex. Photo by Karol Orzechowski. 2009.

One of our most popular and fun activities is our Chelsea Gallery Hop. On our second night in town, armed with a list of gallery openings, a big bunch of us meet at a pre-determined street corner in the Chelsea Art District – and away we go into the art-fueled night! This is a great opportunity to let loose with your fellow Roadtrippers and mix it up with local gallery goers!

On a recent Roadtrip a bunch of us were kickin’ around the Bowery when we stumbled on a curiously dingy little hotel and decided to stop in for a look-see. Time was frozen here – the front lobby seemingly as it was thirty years ago, the musty air of those days thick in the nose – and  I was sure we were being watched through peep holes cut into the eyes of people in scenic pictures on the walls. This was definitely a branch of the Twilight Zone. 

We sat around for a few minutes, resting our feet, and decided for the hell of it to inquire about a room.  We told the clerk that we were just exploring our options and, to our surprise, he gave us two sets of keys – one for a single room, one for a double – and sent us upstairs, unchaperoned, to take a look.  Was this some kind of trick? We weren’t sure, but we were willing to take a chance. …

Acutely thrilled, our little hearts a-thumpin’, we scrambled to the stairwell and shot up to the second of four floors, where we discovered creaky darkened hallways lined with flimsy doors that opened to teeny rooms about 7 x 4 feet, barely big enough for one person to unpack a suitcase. Each room contained a short-person bed, a matchbox closet, super wide spaces between the door and doorframe (making it easy for peeping toms to get a good look at you from the hallway), and there was no ceiling (there was open space between the walls of the room and the original ceiling).

Needless to say, we never intended to get a room.  We were simply wandering, being proactive in our search for meaningful experience, creating a story to share with others, trying to make our own (free) fun. New York City – not unlike any other city – is full of these lesser seen sites, some active, some not. All you have to do is seek them out. 

Show & Tell is pretty self-explanatory. On our way home, we open up the mic for you to show and tell your NYC experience. From the teeniest tale to the wackiest wisdom, we want to hear it. Nothing’s insignificant. Nothing’s too wild. You’d be surprised. Even the most inexperienced storytellers tell the best stories. So don’t be shy. It’s an open stage and a great way to raise some laughs and share your experience.

Installation detail. 2009

Detail of NYC-inspired postcard by Robb Mirsky. 2008

NYC Roadtrip is social art on the move. Ever evolving at the confluence of relational aesthetics, psychogeography and DIY culture, it’s an opportunity for fun-lovin’ adventure-seekers to network, get inspired, conduct creative field research and experience everyday urban life in unusual ways; explore  the non-touristy, local nuances of New York City; and plug into a vibrant travel community unlike any other. 

After each NYC Roadtrip, passengers and crew are invited to participate in NYC Retro Show: a multimedia exhibition of individual and group perspectives on various New York City-inspired subjects, such as the mapping of moments; organized chaos; the artist as wanderer; “street art, street life”; the urban playground; and collective myth-making.  

No matter what your background or passion – photography, architecture, painting, scrapbooking, film, performance; student, professional, hobbyist, novice – this is a chance to make the most of your New York City experience. Don’t just go on vacation. Go on a creative mission.