Guggenheim Invites Public Participation in Audiogram Project with Improv Everywhere in the South Bronx

Transcription

1 Guggenheim Invites Public Participation in Audiogram Project with Improv Everywhere in the South Bronx Fifth Edition in Off-Site Exhibition Series stillspotting nyc to Explore Issues of Sound and Stillness in the Urban Environment Exhibition: stillspotting nyc: bronx Audiogram by Improv Everywhere and audiologist Tina Jupiter Venue: Begin at Ticket Kiosk in the lobby of the Bronx Museum of the Arts 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, Bronx, NY Dates: Saturday, October 13 and Sunday, October 14, 2012 (NEW YORK, NY September 4, 2012) -- Stillspotting nyc is a two-year multidisciplinary project that takes the Guggenheim Museum s programming out into the streets. Site-specific commissions in all five of New York City s boroughs identify moments of urban quiet and stillness and respond to everyday issues of noise and anxiety. For stillspotting nyc: bronx, the fifth and final edition in the series, Charlie Todd and Tyler Walker of Improv Everywhere, along with audiologist Tina Jupiter present Audiogram, a 65-minute experiential and theatrical group hearing test designed for the South Bronx. Audiogram will be offered the weekend of October 13 and 14 and will begin from a stillspotting nyc kiosk located in the lobby of the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Stillspotting nyc is organized by David van der Leer, Assistant Curator, Architecture and Urban Studies, with Sarah Malaika, Stillspotting Project Associate, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Support for stillspotting nyc is provided by the Rockefeller Foundation NYC Opportunities Fund and a MetLife Foundation Museum and Community Connections grant. This project is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Leadership Committee for stillspotting nyc, co-chaired by Franklin Campbell and Pamela Samuels, is gratefully acknowledged for its support. Hearing is often measured with an audiogram, a test in which humans are asked to raise their hand or press a button when detecting a range of tones of specific frequency and intensity. The stillspotting nyc project examines how the effects of urban noise on our hearing can be measured more creatively. For Audiogram, Improv Everywhere a New York City-based prank collective that creates scenes in public

2 places, along with audiologist Tina Jupiter will unveil a unique interpretation of the conventional audiogram through an experience that connects science with humor and the element of surprise. Drawing from Improv Everywhere s mp3 experiment series, Audiogram combines the format of a live hearing evaluation with ambient sounds from the Joyce Kilmer Park off the Bronx Grand Concourse. Participants will engage with pre-recorded sound that will be downloaded to personal mp3 players or borrowed ipods. Walking though the park, a narrator will guide listeners through changing perspectives on sounds in the city so that, among the aural bleeps and blips, participants may encounter surprises along their way. By disorienting its test subjects with layers of fiction and reality, Audiogram intends to heighten awareness of the constant noise surrounding people within New York City. Visiting Audiogram Visitors to Audiogram will take part in an interactive group hearing test guided by a pre-recorded audio track transmitted through personal mp3 players and borrowed ipods. Participants begin at a stillspotting nyc kiosk stationed in the lobby of the Bronx Museum of the Arts at 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street in the Bronx, where they receive their Audiogram guides and wristband and walk to nearby Joyce Kilmer Park to start the hearing test. Audiogram will be offered rain or shine on Saturday, October 13 and Sunday, October 14 at five times each day: 12pm, 1:30pm, 3pm, 4:30pm, and 6pm. Participants are requested to arrive before their ticketed tour time for check in. A limited number of ipods will be available for rental at the ticketing kiosk and must be reserved when purchasing tickets online. The recorded program is approximately one hour long. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for members and will be available beginning on September 10 by credit card only. Discounted rates are available for groups of ten or more. Advance registration is strongly suggested. The nearest subway stops to the ticket kiosk at the Bronx Museum of the Arts are the B and D trains to 167 St/Grand Concourse, the 4 train to 161 St/Yankee Stadium, or the Bx1 or Bx2 bus to 161 St and Grand Concourse. To register and purchase tickets, find directions, or to learn more visit stillspotting.guggenheim.org. For stillspotting nyc: bronx, the Guggenheim Museum is in collaboration with NYC s Department of Transportation on a city-wide initiative. As in past editions, visitors wishing to travel by bicycle to Audiogram may take advantage of an additional free self-guided cycling program that highlights issues of silence and noise around the neighborhoods off the Bronx Grand Concourse. A map with suggested bike routes will be available at the ticketing kiosk and for download at stillspotting.guggenheim.org. Improv Everywhere and stillspotting nyc Over the two-year course of the project, Improv Everywhere has explored the themes of stillness, silence, and noise in the urban environment through a series of performances in public spaces, culminating in Audiogram, the fifth edition of stillspotting nyc. Using undercover actors, the group has staged unexpected scenes for people to discover across New York City. The group s projects commissioned for stillspotting nyc are documented online at youtube.com/guggenheim. Family Program Sunday, October 14, 11am In preparation for participating in Improv Everywhere s interactive experience in Joyce Kilmer Park (off the Grand Concourse) families are invited to a pre-event orientation at the Bronx Museum of the Arts.

3 This family program will feature hearing exercises, art activities, and refreshments. The Bronx Museum of the Arts is located at 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street. About Improv Everywhere Based in New York, Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places and has executed over 100 missions, including the legendary Grand Central Freeze and the infamous No Pants Subway Ride. The group's videos have received over 245 million views online. Charlie Todd is the founder of Improv Everywhere, producing, directing, performing, and documenting the group's work since He trained at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York where he taught from 2005 to He currently performs at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre with his team The Curfew. Todd has given lectures and staged performances at venues, including The Museum of Modern Art, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, TED, The River to River Festival, Design Indaba in Cape Town, the InterFilm Festival in Berlin, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and Art Futura in Barcelona. He graduated with a BA in Dramatic Art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Tyler Walker is a composer and electronic musician whose work can be heard online as well as on British and American television. He began working with Improv Everywhere in 2004 when he and Charlie Todd created the first mp3 experiment, an interactive performance piece where attendees simultaneously listened to a track of instructions and music on their portable mp3 players. Since 2004, there have been nine annual mp3 experiments in New York City as well as in cities across the world. Walker has created original songs for most of Improv Everywhere s online videos and released his first full-length album Spacefaring Male in He studied New Media at Vassar College. About Tina Jupiter Dr. Jupiter is an Associate Professor and Assistant Chair in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at St. John s University and a faculty member at the Long Island AuD Consortium. Dr. Jupiter holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology (CCC-A) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is a NY State licensed audiologist and hearing aid dispenser. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She is a member of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NYSSLHA), as well as the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology (ARA). Dr. Jupiter s research interests include identifying hearing loss in the elderly in a variety of settings using both traditional and electrophysiological procedures. Upcoming finale for stillspotting nyc Tuesday, October 9, 6:30pm The Guggenheim and Unsound, creators of the celebrated New York festival, host a variety show of talks, performances, films, readings, and statements by architects, artists, planners, scientists, politicians, philosophers, and musicians as a finale reflecting upon the issues explored within the five editions of stillspotting nyc. This event is presented as part of Archtober: Architecture and Design Month and will take place in the Peter B. Lewis Theater of the Guggenheim Museum. Tickets are $10, $7 members, $5

4 students. For more information and tickets, visit stillspotting.guggenheim.org/learn. Interactive Programs and Studies for stillspotting nyc In conjunction with the projects organized around the city, visitors may identify and plot out their personal areas of quiet and respite in a personalized map as part of the Create Your Own Stillspot program at stillspotting.guggenheim.org/create-your-own. For stillspotting nyc, the Spatial Information Design Lab (SIDL) at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University was commissioned to develop a mapping study on silence and noise in New York City. The interactive map developed by SIDL presents actual noise complaints generated by New York residents when calling 311, the city's phone number for government information and non-emergency services. Reading the complaints offers insight into the city s types of noise, and the contrasts between private and social space as well as between residential and commercial necessities. A second visual study was developed with students in the MFA program in the Photography, Video, and Related Media Department at the School of Visual Arts who created video studies of the visual, aural, and sociological ecology of the urban landscape. The interactive maps and videos are presented on stillspotting.guggenheim.org. Previous editions of stillspotting nyc Editions of stillspotting nyc prior to Audiogram in the South Bronx featured Sanatorium by visual artist Pedro Reyes in downtown Brooklyn; To a Great City around Lower Manhattan by composer Arvo Pärt and architectural firm Snøhetta; Transhistoria in Jackson Heights, Queens, by architectural firm Solid Objectives Idenburg Liu (SO IL); and Telettrofono in Staten Island by sound artist Justin Bennett with poet Matthea Harvey. About the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Founded in 1937, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of art, primarily of the modern and contemporary periods, through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The global network that began in the 1970s, when the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, was joined by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, has expanded to include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (opened 1997), the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin ( ), and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi currently under development. Looking to the future, the Guggenheim Foundation continues to forge international collaborations that take contemporary art, architecture, and design beyond the walls of the museum. More information about the Foundation can be found at guggenheim.org. guggenheim.org twitter.com/guggenheim facebook.com/guggenheimmuseum youtube.com/guggenheim flickr.com/guggenheim_museum foursquare.com/guggenheim

5 For publicity images visit guggenheim.org/pressimages User ID: photoservice Password: presspass #1256 September 4, 2012 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT Lauren Van Natten, Associate Director, Media and Public Relations Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

6 Guggenheim Presents stillspotting nyc: finale on October 9 Culminating Program Celebrating the Off-Site Exhibition Series Exploring Sound and Stillness in Urban Environments to Include Architect Charles Renfro, Historian Hillel Schwartz, Sound Artist Jana Winderen, and Writer Robert A.F. Thurman, Among Many Others (NEW YORK, NY September 28, 2012) On October 9, the Guggenheim Museum and Unsound creators of the celebrated New York festival host a variety show of talks, performances, films, readings, statements, and personal reflections by architects, artists, planners, scientists, politicians, philosophers, and musicians as a finale reflecting upon the issues explored within the five editions of the off-site exhibition series stillspotting nyc. Program visitors will join in a larger conversation about how man-made environments can be reconceived, reshaped, and redesigned to provide increased opportunities for calm and stillness, and will be invited to revisit elements of the site-specific commissions from each of the five New York City boroughs recreated in the Guggenheim rotunda during the evening of the stillspotting nyc: finale. The program will take place in the Peter B. Lewis Theater of the Guggenheim Museum from 7 10 pm, with a lounge including restaged elements of stillspotting nyc editions held in the rotunda from 9 11 pm where specialty stillspotting cocktails will be served. Tickets are $10, $7 members, $5 students. For a complete program description, more information, and tickets, visit Program for stillspotting nyc: finale 7:00 pm At LAST: Between the Concert and the Wall by artist and musician Sergei Tcherepnin (Brooklyn, NY) 7:20 pm Introductory notes by David van der Leer, Associate Curator, Architecture and Urban Studies, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Lawrence Kumpf and Andy Battaglia, organizers and co-curators, Unsound (New York, NY) 7:35 pm Sound Histories of NYC by historian Emily Thompson (Princeton University, NJ) 7:45 pm Urban Noise and Health with health researcher Dr. Robyn Gershon (University of California, San Francisco, CA) 7:50 pm On Tony Schwartz #1 sound collage by historian and radio DJ David Suisman (Philadelphia, PA)

7 7:55 pm Professionalizing Stillness with Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner, NYC Department of Transportation; Sarah Williams, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston); and noise consultant and professor Eric Zwerling (Rutgers University, NJ) 8:15 pm Water Signal by sound artist and acoustic researcher Jana Winderen (Oslo, Norway) 8:35 pm On Stillness by writer and academic Robert A. F. Thurman (Columbia University, New York, NY) 9:00 pm On Schwartz #2 presentation/biographical talk by historian and DJ David Suisman (Philadelphia, PA) 9:10 pm The Still City? by architect Charles Renfro (Diller Scofidio + Renfro, NYC) 9:20 pm On Schwartz #3 sound collage by historian and DJ David Suisman (Philadelphia, PA) 9:25 pm Between Language and Sound with novelist Ben Marcus (New York, NY) 9:35 pm Sound intervention by experimental musician Jon Mueller (Milwaukee, WI) 9:55 pm Making Noise with historian, poet, and arts consultant Hillel Schwartz (Leucadia, CA) 9:00 pm Restaging of five stillspotting nyc editions and reception Editions of stillspotting nyc included: Sanatorium by visual artist Pedro Reyes in downtown Brooklyn; To a Great City around Lower Manhattan by composer Arvo Pärt and architectural firm Snøhetta; Transhistoria in Jackson Heights, Queens, by architectural firm Solid Objectives Idenburg Liu (SO IL); and Telettrofono in Staten Island by sound artist Justin Bennett with poet Matthea Harvey. The fifth and final edition, Audiogram in the South Bronx by Improv Everywhere and audiologist Tina Jupiter, charts the impact of noise on the hearing abilities of New Yorkers through a unique interactive audio experience taking place October Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for members. To register and purchase tickets, find directions, or to learn more visit stillspotting.guggenheim.org. The stillspotting nyc finale is supported by the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York. Support for stillspotting nyc is provided by the Rockefeller Foundation NYC Opportunities Fund and a MetLife Foundation Museum and Community Connections grant. This project is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Leadership Committee for stillspotting nyc, co-chaired by Franklin Campbell and Pamela Samuels, is gratefully acknowledged for its support. This event is presented as part of Archtober: Architecture and Design Month. About Unsound Unsound explores links between cultures, communities, and hidden histories related to music and sound. Established in 2003 as a festival of advanced music in Krakow, Poland, Unsound has expanded to include a similar festival in New York begun in 2010 as well as international platforms for performances, presentations, commissions, and special projects supported by dialogue and debate pertaining to what we hear when we listen to the world around us. About the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Founded in 1937, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of art, primarily of the modern and contemporary periods, through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The global network that began in the 1970s when the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, was joined by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, has expanded to include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (opened

8 1997), the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin ( ), and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi currently under development. Looking to the future, the Guggenheim Foundation continues to forge international collaborations that take contemporary art, architecture, and design beyond the walls of the museum. More information about the foundation can be found at guggenheim.org. For general museum information visit the museum online at guggenheim.org or twitter.com/guggenheim facebook.com/guggenheimmuseum youtube.com/guggenheim flickr.com/guggenheim_museum foursquare.com/guggenheim For publicity images visit guggenheim.org/pressimages User ID: photoservice Password: presspass #1260 September 28, 2012 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT Lauren Van Natten, Associate Director, Media and Public Relations Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

9 PRESS IMAGES stillspotting nyc: bronx Audiogram by Improv Everywhere and Audiologist Tina Jupiter Saturday, October 13 and Sunday, October 14, 2012 Bronx, New York Online Photo Service for Press Images Images for current exhibitions may be downloaded free of charge through our Web site. Visit guggenheim.org/press-images Enter the following username and password: Username: photoservice Password: presspass Select the desired exhibition All images cleared for press are available in either jpeg or tiff format. All images are accompanied by full caption and copyright information. The publication of images is permitted only for press purposes and with the corresponding credit lines. Images may not be cropped, detailed, overprinted, or altered. with any questions. Bronx aerial, 2012 Photo: Iwan Baan 2012 Iwan Baan Audiogram for stillspotting nyc: bronx by Improv Everywhere. Installation views: October 13-14, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. Photo: Kristopher McKay 1 stillspotting nyc: bronx

10 Audiogram for stillspotting nyc: bronx by Improv Everywhere. Installation views: October 13-14, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. Photo: Kristopher McKay Audiogram for stillspotting nyc: bronx by Improv Everywhere. Installation views: October 13-14, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. Photo: Kristopher McKay Bronx Impression, Improv Everywhere, Brian Fountain Speech Banana Chart Graphic: Phonak AG stillspotting nyc: bronx

11 Snøhetta Concept sketch for To a Great City, 2011 Digital photograph with handwriting Snøhetta stillspotting nyc: bronx