24hrs with Performa & nycbike: the pictures

Started in Times Square. Academia Ruchu happening. When asked what they were doing, the performers replied: "We're measuring people".  Reminded me of an installation on 42nd St when they were starting to haul it up, Nam June Paik had installed a dozen copies of famous statues: Statue of Liberty, Rio De Janeiro's Christ, Michelangelo's David, Venus de Milo. They were all the same size, human size,  made out of an artificial resin, in bold colors, green, blue, red. Tourists loved the installation, they would have their photo taken with each statue. A great way to engage people with a contemporary installation.

I promised myself this blog entry would be about pictures, not words. Here's the first one, of performers with their measuring tape:

Got on my nycbike to reach the next show.

Went past the Church of Scientology, right in the middle of the Theater District, an appropriate location.

Next: The Great and Secret Show at the Post Office on 8th Ave & 34th. An unused outlooking gallery was transformed into an installation by artist Krakowiak. She was there, discussed her work. It was eery (most of the post office is not in used anymore, when thousands of employees used to work there, when people used snail mail), some features were ambiguous: were they part of the building or set up by the artist? Spooky and intriguing.

The artist with her special, alien eyes

As I cycled back through Times Square, another happening, protesting repression in Egypt -  not part of Performa or maybe it was, maybe everything happening in NYC yesterday was part of Performa:

I had my schedule, I had my nycbike key (I will not call it its soulsoldtodevil name, the c***bike). I stopped at an anonymous, soulless cafe, undoubtedly an installation part of Performa:

Then I went to Grand Central Station, to witness a Performa wedding:

The Grand Station Terminal tour with bold, beautiful, brilliant Marthe Ramm Fortun:

She talked poetically on a number of themes. As she took us around the Station, it became clear how the themes related to its features: the ceiling mosaic, a fresco of flowers, a dedication to Jackie Kennedy Onassis. She changed the space for us, it will always have her imprint whenever I will pass through to take the train. Performa at its best.

Hear her speak:

Some Performa attendees:

I was hoping to make it to a show at the Kitchen, but it was too late. I went straight to the Performa Hub for a Kundilini sleep over: the 8 large gongs went on all night, from 9:30 until 5am when we had a yoga session, then breakfast at 7.

I slept a little. I was home by 8:30am.