A few feet away, competing with the noise of a construction site, another singer chants: “Funny how construction next store changes everything. Funny how construction next store changes nothing,” while putting his hands in front of his face in a comical expression of annoyance.
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I personally clicked on this article because it had the words “New York” in the title, and me being my biased self, I had to read to this to be updated on what’s going on at home. The article is about a group of 1,000 performers who stand around New York City, chanting different random phrases or snippets of songs. The article stated that about 40 ensemble groups from every borough get together and chant for about three hours on end, just repeating the same thing over and over. The whole concept of this, in my opinion, is to decode everything to its simplest form. One of the chants is, “Funny how hope changes everything. Funny how hope changes nothing”. This is a reoccurring theme when the article goes on to talk about how they have the same ideology as if someone were to have a really good glass of wine- does that mean everything? Or does that mean nothing? I think addressing these thoughts are important to think about. I think the execution of this is successful because due to the large number of participants, people are forced to listen. Not only are people forced to listen and stop for a moment, its effective people the large number of people make the chants that much more intense because of the volume. It creates an atmosphere where thoughts are promised.
Like many New Yorkers, I have many important and beautiful memories from the High Line, all peaceful and golden. The video clip of The Mile Long Opera paints a polar opposite scene of everything I remember the High Line to be. The stark, cold lighting, the stagnancy of the singers on their pedestals, and the echoing of a thousand voices create an eerie alternate version of a familiar and beloved place. Having been surrounded by New York art and theater my entire life, I’ve found that some of the most memorable works I’ve seen have been site-specific. The significance of these iconic tourist attractions will inevitably be imbedded in such performances, and I think that all the lyrics that reference “this city” carry the weight of the High Line’s presence in New York City. I think my favorite part of the setup of The Mile Long Opera is the fact that the singers essentially become parts of an installation piece, breaking the wall that inexplicably exists between strangers in the city. Audience members take time to study the singers’ expressions, listen intently to their words, and recognize how each is different from the last singer. The pedestal demands a sort of confrontational experience and the inescapable voices prevent any of the comfort and leisure that one usually expects of the High Line. I’m obsessed with this uncomfortable side of edgy New York performance and needless to say, I wish I were home to see this for myself.
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