Unsilent Night
Thursday, November 30th, 2006
[another pic here.]
BOOMBOX SYMPHONY HITS SYDNEY STREETS
On Saturday, December 16, Sydney-Siders are invited to participate in a Christmas parade like no other… Unsilent Night is the work of New York based composer Phil Kline. It’s a surreal, specially crafted composition written especially for a procession of boom boxes.
For the last 15 years, Kline has lead choruses of boom boxes through the streets of NYC to much critical acclaim. Now, for the second time running, this strange but beautiful symphony will hit Australia.
“The moment my partner and I heard about Unsilent Night we couldn’t wait to bring it to Sydney,” says Sydney event organiser, Daz Chandler.
“It’s such a unique event and one that encourages people to come together and celebrate sound, the silly season and the notion of community.”
Kline places the different parts of his composition on cassettes, the organisers distribute them on the night to those wanting to be involved and then, at the given signal, participants simultaneously press PLAY. When the cassettes start rolling, “they blossom into a marvelously crafted symphony” (Time Out New York) and the crowd begins to snake eastward, following a pre-determined route until the piece ends at Taylor Square, Darlinghurst less than an hour and a few kilometres later.
Last year for the first time Unsilent Night took place in Sydney. Daz Chandler says that the procession was an enormous success and attracted people of all different walks of life.
“It was simply amazing – it brought together a full spectrum of Sydney’s community. There were mums and dads, musicians, artists and even a a couple in their 80’s!”
The Village Voice describes Unsilent Night as “a marvelously fluid, traveling spatial sound sculpture that disintegrates and reforms at nearly every stop light.”
When performed in the confines of a city, Unsilent Night reverberates off the buildings and streets, resulting in a drifting cloud of ethereal undulating sound. In effect, Kline’s music and his volunteer co-performers become single elements in a two-block-long stereo system.
Since its debut in New York in 1992, Unsilent Night has become a cult holiday tradition in Manhattan, drawing crowds of up to 1,000 participants. Daz Chandler hopes that the event will continue to thrive in Sydney.
“Everyone who took part last year wanted information on the next boombox symphony. I am confident that this year, the event will draw even more people.”
WHERE: Town Hall steps
WHEN: Saturday 16th December, 2006
7:45pm for an 8pm start
WHAT: Bring a boom box or just come along for the ride!
*The event is free, and will be held rain or shine.
For further information, please call Daz at Staplegun Productions on Ph:0407-523-753
