20 Aug 2015
0
View Post
India Day, Spark postcard project bring the world together

India Day, Spark postcard project bring the world together

August 20, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , ,

By Karla D. Romero, Spark writer in residence 

As I walked towards Circle Spark last Sunday, the morning was barely underway in downtown Indianapolis. I circled around the Monument and noticed that along with the extra seating and parklets provided by Spark, there were colorful new booths, stands and tables covered in even more colorful clothing, food and knick-knacks.

People began to arrive in large numbers, many of them dressed in dhotis, saris and other traditional garments. Orange, white and green ribbons and balloons decorated the stage that sat just a few feet away from the trailer I had to report to for Spark – “INDIA ASSOCIATION OF INDIANAPOLIS,” said the gigantic flag on the stage. It was India Day and my task on this particular Sunday was to facilitate the postcard project, which consisted of encouraging people to either create their own or send one of the many Monument Circle postcards (a partnership with the Indiana Historical Society) Big Car provides to anyone, anywhere in the world, for free (we’ll have them out every Sunday as well as other days until Oct. 16). As we began to set up, I felt several raindrops fall on my arms and before the rain could fall and wilt the postcards, Jim and I went back to the trailer, with just enough time to avoid the insane (yet brief) rainstorm.

I don’t know about you, but to go to work and to get to watch a rainstorm wash away the weekend at Monument Circle on India Day is quite a beautiful sight, especially when the sun finally made its debut. Once the rain cleared a bit, Jim and I gave it another go and set up the postcard table. On the sandwich board next to the table, I wrote, “MAKE A POSTCARD & WE’LL SEND IT! FREE!”

At first, it was hard to get people to come by, but a few curious onlookers did manage to make their way over. “What is this for?” Asked one of them. I gave them the spiel and they couldn’t believe it. “Seriously? You’ll send it anywhere in the world for free? Why?” Everyone asked the same set of questions, most of those questions with a hint of skepticism. After several answers to these set of questions, I found one that made the most sense, “Why not?”

We had a few more issues with the weather, but once the sun came out again and lunchtime rolled around, people started to crowd the table, many of them ate and chatted with me but weren’t interested in making or sending a postcard. “Do you send them to India?” Asked a young guy who walked by. I looked over at Nick Zuckerman who was there with me at the time and we both kind of nodded. “Yes, anywhere.” I answered. “We just have to make sure we put another stamp on it.”

A little girl stepped away from the Shalimar food line where she stood with her dad and asked me, “Can you send one to my grandma?” “Sure!” I answered. She spent several minutes on her personalized postcard and handed it to me. Although for the most part it was illegible, I could see that the recipient address line said, “Grandma.” She handed it to me and asked, “Do you know where she lives?” And walked away. Everyone who stood nearby laughed and a few minutes later, the little girl’s dad came up to me. “Are you really sending them to India?” He asked. I told him we were and handed him the postcard. He smiled, filled out the recipient’s address line with grandma’s address. “Thank you so much! Thank you!” He said.

Word must have gotten out that we were actually sending postcards to India, (on India Day, for free) because I was now alone and surrounded by people who wanted to send a piece of this day to their loved ones. “I cannot believe that you’re doing this for free,” said a woman who had sent a couple to family in India. More and more people came, several from Latin America, Europe, from all across the U.S., and many from other towns and cities in Indiana.

Those of us who had sent postcards or letters in the past laughed when kids came up to send one. “How does this work?” I laughed and explained it. Once they understood the purpose of postcards altogether, the majority of the kids who participated while I was there wanted to send several more.

In a time where new technology and fairly easy global communication is the norm, to see so many people, young and old, from all over the world, get so incredibly excited and emotional to send a physical object to someone they love is the kind of human interaction that perhaps reminds us that we need more human interaction.

Last Sunday, I was reminded that touching, making and physical presence as a community isn’t a luxury, but an innate part of the human condition. Many people who participated in the postcard project on India Day probably feel something similar. Now, can you imagine every Sunday being this fulfilling in Indianapolis? Spark is making that happen.

SPARK_postacrds_03

The historic and artist-created (Niina Cochran and Andy Fry) postcards available during Spark. This is a partnership with the Indiana Historical Society. Stop by and ask for one and we’ll mail it anywhere for you. 

13 Aug 2015
0

Phono Fridays brings music to Monument Circle

August 13, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , , , , ,

spark-music

By Rob Peoni, Spark Writer in Residence

For those that don’t know, the city of Indianapolis is using Spark Monument Circle to experiment with placemaking initiatives and evaluate the optimal use of its most prominent public space. In a broader sense, Spark also serves as a case study in Big Car’s mission to “bring art to people and people to art, sparking creativity in lives to transform communities.” Much of the Spark programming is possible to ignore, if that’s your prerogative. That will prove much more difficult with the onset of Phono Fridays, when Spark programming features a full afternoon of live performances spotlighting Central Indiana’s diverse musical offerings.

“I’ve always liked to describe Monument Circle as Indianapolis’ front yard,” says Patrick Burtch, co-organizer of Virginia Avenue Folk Fest and one of Spark’s musical curators. “It’s where visitors go. It’s our most visible, iconic spot in the entire city. It’s really awesome to have our name connected with an organization like Big Car and Monument Circle to put some music that we really like out there. Hopefully, this will become more of a regular thing. It’s just too perfect of a spot for music in particular, I think, to not take advantage of that.”

Phono Friday Schedule: August 14th

  • Noon – 12:30: Classical Music Indy presents Sarah Shreko and Deb Shebish
  • 12:30 -1:30: Musical Family Tree presents Caleb McCoach
  • 4 – 5pm: Rhythm! Discovery Center presents drum circle & percussion demonstration
  • 5 – 6pm: Musical Family Tree presents Rachel & Jonny
  • 6 – 7pm: Virginia Ave. Folk Fest presents Isle of Manhattan

Burtch and his partner Mike Angel are fond of Big Car’s approach to turning atypical venues and public spaces into artistic destinations. This shared vision has led the duo to try some innovative promotional techniques for their music business. Like pulling Kentucky’s Buffalo Rodeo down Virginia Ave. through Fountain Square while the band performed on a trailer or performing on a rooftop during First Friday. “Pat and I both have rebellious spirit,” Angel says. “We’re not going to ask for permission to do things like pull a band around on a trailer. If a band wants to do it, we’re gonna do it.”

Listen to Caleb McCoach ahead of his performance tomorrow:

Phono Fridays will kickoff at noon each week, with programming provided by four different curators. The curators include Musical Family Tree, Virginia Ave. Folk Fest, Classical Music Indy and Rhythm! Discovery Center. “We definitely wanted it to be family-friendly and all-ages friendly, but also wanted to incorporate as many genres as we could,” Musical Family Tree executive director Jon Rogers says of his approach to programming. “Keeping the line-up diverse in terms of having different ethnicities, genders, even different ages of musicians… I think we collaborated to get a line-up that was a good representation of the whole city in different ways.”

All of the Phono Fridays curators were excited about the prospect of bringing music to an audience they may not reach on a regular basis. “There’s a lot of people around here who don’t know what kind of music we have to offer,” Angel says. “It will be a good chance for them to realize that there are really talented people around here.”

Rogers reiterated that sentiment, saying, “That’s one of the main reasons I was attracted to [Spark], because we would be able to reach a different audience – say, people who work downtown and come out for lunch or happy hour. I’m assuming with all the other programming that Big Car and Spark are doing, that there will be increased interest as this thing goes on and continues to build. It’s an exciting opportunity.”

11 Aug 2015
0
View Post
Planting city seeds with Wednesday walks

Planting city seeds with Wednesday walks

August 11, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , ,

By Karla Romero, Spark writer in residence
By now you know that Spark is a project that temporarily reflects the endless cultural and socio-civic possibilities of a central and community-driven space in our city. What you may not know is that each day has a theme and Wednesday’s is simple: walking.

I got to spend last Wednesday evening at Monument Circle and what I saw was much more than a cultural shift in our city. I was approached by onlookers who wondered what was going on and why the Circle had gone through such a transformation. A family visiting from North Carolina, with a thick Cackalacky accent, chatted with us and sat along the Circle at the additional Spark seating. I thought, “How will their contact with Spark impact their opinion of Indianapolis?” They spent well over an hour playing games and participating in the overall Spark experience, so I’m certain that their vision of Indianapolis was greatly shaped by their time at Monument Circle. Sadly, they left before the most exciting part of Walking Wednesdays, a free guided Theme Walk. Last Wednesday’s Theme Walk was of the Indiana State House.

Jennifer Hodge from Capitol Tours led us from Monument Circle towards the State House. The tour started at 6:30 p.m. And, as our group started to walk, I looked around and saw that people were not only engaged with their surrounding, but they looked different. Before Spark, my memory of the Circle consisted of an image of the daily shuffle of individuals who were there to take pictures and leave, regulars who in many ways call Monument Circle their home, and those who used that space to walk through to get somewhere else. On this particular Wednesday, I could see people’s eyes as they looked across the Circle to investigate the changes to part of their daily expanse. Many sat at the parklets and tables that line the Circle. Others stopped and chatted, pointed and smiled, and just stood there, perhaps wishing that this were a permanent fixture.

The tour was packed with incredible facts and an immense amount of information about the Indiana State House. For example, did you know that the State House has a Sycamore tree that was grown from one of the famous Moon Tree seeds? In 1971, Apollo 14 Astronaut Stuart A. Roosa carried approximately 500 seeds to the moon as an experiment for the U.S. Forest Service. One of those seeds was planted in the front lawn arboretum of the State House in April of 1976, and is now one of only about 50 trees still alive from that experiment. For more information and a virtual tour of the State House, please visit: http://www.in.gov/idoa/virtual-tour/

This week’s Theme Walk goes very well with this little-known fact about our local Moon Tree. Aborist Nate Faris from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful will lead the Downtown Tree Tour, where we will learn what trees say about our city.

The most exciting part about the Theme Walks is that you’ll be able to enjoy a different one each Wednesday for the duration of Spark. So, if you find yourself pondering what your next Wednesday will consist of, remember you can change it drastically. Despite the fact that Spark will only last through mid October, perhaps the best way to prolong the experience of this project is by making a habit of using these pre-existing spaces more often.

If we can envision a space in our city as an expectation and not just an idea, we can continue to utilize the Circle after Spark has finished and demonstrate that turning a Wednesday into a cultural experience isn’t a luxury left to those who live in the biggest cities. I’m certain that the family from North Carolina that we talked to last Wednesday sees Indianapolis under a unique lens that most of us don’t, since their Monument Circle experience was exclusively defined by Spark. What if every Wednesday you could walk to the Circle and discover something about your city that enriches your cultural knowledge, your community and your personal and interpersonal growth? Join us every Wednesday through mid October, as we connect ourselves and our community to our city’s most treasured landmarks, history and hidden corners!

Upcoming Theme Walk schedule:

Aug. 12: Downtown Tree Tour  
— What can our trees say about our city? Get up close and personal while learning about nature with this tree tour led by arborist Nate Faris of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.

Aug. 19: Virginia Avenue History — Virginia Avenue boasts many historic buildings as one of Indy’s first most important streets. Explore what the avenue has to offer during this themed walk led by historian Connie Zeigler.

Aug. 26: Indy Oddities — Believe it or not, Indy is full of oddities. Explore what’s weird with artist Kipp Normand on this themed walk. Are you sensing some great photo opportunities?

Sept. 2: Mass Ave  — Massachusetts Avenue is certainly one of our city’s hangout hotspots. See why during this themed walk with Eric Strickland of the Riley Area Development Corporation.

Sept. 9: German American History — Explore German American History with architectural historian William Selm in this week’s theme walk. If you’re German, see if your roots might play a part in our city’s history in this themed walk.

Sept. 16: Pogue’s Run — Explore Pogue’s run, an urban creek that runs right through Indy, in this themed walk that has you experiencing your city in a whole new way, led by artist Sean Derry who did a previous project marking Pogue’s Run under downtown. Alan Goffinski of Reconnecting to Our Waterways will also help out.

Sept. 23: Downtown Public Art — Public art is everywhere, but sometimes we miss it when we are in a hurry or are quickly driving by. Take time to relax and enjoy our city’s public art in this themed walk led by Julia Muney Moore of the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

Sept. 30: Situationist Walk  — Tedd Grain of Indianapolis LISC and Big Car’s Jim Walker team up to explore walks as a spontaneous wandering games. Learn a little about the Situationist idea of the dérive and try one together.

Oct. 7: Indiana Avenue — Experience Indianapolis history in a new way with a themed walk from the Circle to historic Indiana Avenue with community activist Donna Stokes-Lucas.

Oct. 14: Haunted Indianapolis — What downtown hotspots give you the creeps? Explore Indy’s haunted locations with artist ghost investigator Craig McCormick.

03 Aug 2015
0
View Post
Listen Hear brings experimental ambience to Mellow Mondays

Listen Hear brings experimental ambience to Mellow Mondays

August 3, 2015 | 0 Comments | , , , ,

What happens when you give a bunch of avant-garde, experimental musicians whose work is typically confined to living rooms and contemporary gallery spaces an hour of free rein at one of Indy’s most prominent public spaces? Stop by Monument Circle at 6 p.m. on Mondays to find out.

The onset of the workweek brings a bit of routine and the launch of themed days as part of Spark Monument Circle. Until mid-October, Mondays will consist of “Mellow Mondays” which are designed to “encourage low-tech, relaxing experiences.”

Local musician and artist John Flannelly will curate musical performances in connection with Big Car’s Listen Hear initiative to close out Mellow Mondays. For Spark Monument Circle, Flannelly was given broad guidelines. The Listen Hear contribution, which will take place from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Monday evenings, will feature hour-long performances from Indiana artists. It will focus on experimental music, and generally leans toward more ambient, longform pieces. “A lot of musicians who are playing generally don’t get the opportunity to play for an hour,” Flannelly says. “So, they’re kind of stretching out some things or trying different things.”

Duncan Kissinger will be the first experimental musician to take the stage at Monument Circle this evening. Kissinger initially made a splash on Indy’s music scene while still in high school as the guitarist in celebrated rock band Hotfox. Since those early days, Kissinger’s sound has leaned toward the more experimental, outsider or fringe side of things. This change in direction first surfaced under the name of Skin Conditions, a project with a deep catalog (given its short lifespan) of bedroom recordings available via Indiana music archive Musical Family Tree. Skin Conditions underwent several iterations, including a full backing band at different points in time. More recently, Kissinger has recorded and performed solo under his given name.

“When you think about Duncan’s music,” Flannelly says, “he does a lot of different modes: guitar and singing, every once in a while he’ll whip out a keyboard and do something more spacey. He’s someone who likes to try out different things.”

Kissinger’s idea for his Monument Circle performance came to him as he was drifting to sleep on a recent evening. “It came to me that I should get a bunch of fans – like fans that cool cool a room, not that are supportive of a team or something,” Kissinger laughs. “I’m going to get a bunch of fans in a configuration of a live band … I’m going to have them mic’d and I think I might run them through some effects, but I’m going to just be the sound guy for that. I’m going to work a mixer in a choir robe, because [Flannelly] said it has to be an hour and it has to be an ambient set. So, I was like what’s a better ambient instrument than fans, you know? Plus it’s probably going to be hotter than Hell.”

Flannelly is anxious to bring these experimental sounds from the relatively sequestered spaces of music venues and the bedroom to a historic stage as prominent as any in the city. “Most live music, just by circumstance of the venue is going to be kind of hidden away,” Flannelly says. “It’s in a building with a cover, possibly. Or it’s in a house where not everybody knows about it. That’s even more true of the experimental side of things. So, I think it’s awesome. You never know how a wide audience will react to these things in general.”

Kissinger echoed that sentiment, saying, “The Listen Hear opportunity on the circle is really great, because that’s some weird, heady, out-there stuff … It’s going to be a really fun dynamic, especially with all of the other people that are doing the Monday sets. I know a lot of them. We’re all weirdos. I’m excited to watch everyone fly their freak flag in the middle of downtown.”

Listen Hear Performance Schedule:

  • August 3: Duncan Kissinger
  • August 10: Jim Walker
  • August 17: Rob Funkhouser
  • August 24: John Flannelly
  • August 31: Landon Caldwell
  • September 7: [No performance on Labor day]
  • September 14: Teen Brigade
  • September 21: Drekka
  • September 28: Sommer
  • October 5: Kaiton Slusher / Levi Villines
  • October 12: Sedcairn Archives

Listen Hear is an ongoing sound-art project that Big Car launched in 2014. The fundamental purposes of Listen Hear are to (1) highlight sound as a material in art while bringing people together to enjoy this, (2) give focus to the importance of our daily soundscape, (3) engage new listeners with tools and techniques related to deep listening, (4) provide opportunities to new and uninitiated audiences to experience sound as art.

Stay up-to-date on Listen Hear’s contribution to Spark Monument Circle via Facebook.

08 Jun 2015
Off

SPARK: Monument Circle

June 8, 2015 | Comments Closed

_MonCircle_01_1920x720

SPARK: Monument Circle will bring extraordinary temporary cultural experiences to Monument Circle.

BACKGROUND

From the creation of temporary seating and lounge areas, to interactive art projects, performances, games, and more, SPARK: Monument Circle seeks to experiment and discover how our city’s most important civic space might be better activated and utilized on a daily basis. The information gathered during this project will be given to the City of Indianapolis’ Monument Circle Reconstruction team for consideration in the longer-term construction project.

This project uses the tools, techniques and strategies of creative peacemaking, tactical urbanism, and socially engaged art to accomplish three main goals:

  1. Honor the history and civic importance of the space while offering insights and information helpful for planning for future uses of Monument Circle
  2. Help improve the quality of life for residents by providing a thriving civic & social space in the center of the City
  3. Provide an enjoyable, memorable, and surprising experience  for visitors to Indianapolis.

THEMED DAYS

To maximize the spark, we’ll have different themes everyday:

✪ Mellow Mondays encourage quiet relaxing, low-tech, and unplugged experiences

✪ Talking Tuesdays might have a community soapbox, ask an expert station, community conversations, TED talks projected outside, sports talk, and a live broadcast Q&A with interesting people from the community

✪ Walking Wednesdays are days when people meet to walk and talk and take organized, artist/expert-led walks from the Circle to other destinations nearby

✪ Throwback Thursdays  have a focus on history – especially of Monument Circle – and historic preservation

✪ Phono Fridays feature music, sound, and DJs – including crowd-sourced, vinyl, spoken word

✪ Social Saturdays are community days for people to get together, neighborhood groups to have their own days, for people to hang out, play and collaborate with each other

✪ Cycle Sundays will include special programs for bike riders, scooter riders, and motorcyclists – including discounts or prizes for people who ride down to the circle