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February 28, 2005
The Gates - Saturday February 19, 2005
NYC has been all a flutter these past few weeks over The Gates, a large installation by Christo & Jean Claude in Central Park. I came across a post about an evening walking tour that sounded pretty interesting on my weekly Nonsense NYC mailing, so Michelle and I decided to check it out. It was being put on by Derek Lomas at Cognitive Culture. (I'd later learn that Derek was not even a New Yorker - he's from Columbus, Ohio - , and that he was pretty surprised when all the folks from Nonsense showed up for his little tour.)
We bundled up, downloaded the soundtrack into my I-Pod as instructed and headed for Central Park. There was a group of about 60 people gathering at the Alice statue. At the designated time we all started our soundtracks and ventured further into the park.
It’s difficult to articulate what “The Gates” really are. (I’m sure they're something different for every person…). For me the evening was almost cinematic (maybe it was the soundtrack…). The Gates seemed to focus my experience of the world around me. It was almost as if they created rooms and corridors in an outdoor space. The park at night was extraordinary. Around every bend was a new thing to see and experience. There were breathtaking and magical scenes that were brought into sharper focus by the darkness.
Thanks again Derek, for providing a live action real time shared movie-like experience!
Here's the evening through my eyes...
Here's an article on The Gates by Anna Quindlen, taken from Time magazine.
Posted by Thomas at February 28, 2005 11:19 PM
Comments
Wow, that's the first non-mocking thing I've read about The Gates. I wish I could have been there! When do they come down? Maybe I can do it myself in July....
Posted by: dav ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.trebsworld.com/journey/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 13, 2005 06:11 PM
Thanks for the great write up. I was reading Derek's website (he was a Gates monitor), and it seems they've taken the last gate down. I actually never got to see them in the daylight (other than passing glances in cabs and such...). Would have been interesting to compare the two experiences.
Posted by: Thomas at March 13, 2005 09:57 PM
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