Raquel de Anda makes art happen! When Alaina’s college roomie moved to Brooklyn a few months ago, she was immediately integrated in numerous projects and coordinating art of all varieties. One of these is Art in Odd Places, an annual community art festival taking place all along 14th Street in Manhattan for 10 days, so I decided I would perform a sidewalk version of Supergood Reality. Since then, I have been visualizing what it would look like and considering infinite possibilities. Last night, it came alive! My Studio has been untethered!
Into a “granny-cart” frame, I loaded a 12V battery, a DC/AC inverter, PA System, video projector, laptop, iPad and iPhone. It is heavy, probably about 80 pounds, but rolls pretty good, especially down hills! I brought it, via Subway (and enjoyed an unusually warm kindness from my fellow riders, helping me carry it up or down stairs and inquiring about the project), to Pedro Albizu Campos Plaza at 14th St. and Ave. C for the opening reception of the festival. It was beautiful madness; an incredibly high density of performances and art pieces amid a cacophony of sound! I clamped the alligator clips onto the battery and powered up my own insane invention, blasting Supergood music and projecting scenes of the area onto the sidewalk.
I brought some glow bracelets, and before I even started was surrounded by kids asking for them. I could not hand them out fast enough nor was there any amount that would satisfy them… I handed out 100 in 10 minutes and while I was certainly not expecting that to be the bulk of my performance, it was a great interaction with the audience. It was a greeting and exchange, turning the fourth wall into a magnet!
I am encouraged by my mobile studio debut and look forward to rolling with it more in the future. On Saturday, I will power up again and lead a parade along 14th St. from East to West.
Supergood Reality: 14th Street
October 13, 2012 @ 8:00pm
Avenue C to the Hudson River, NYC