From movie screenings to mass meditations, crowd noise is becoming quieter—in a good way.
Author: Michelle Laufik
As part of the Lincoln Center Outdoor Festival, guests attended a silent screening of the cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Damrosch Park. Silence was ensured using headphones.
“I didn’t even realize how much noise a camera drone makes,” says Jesse Israel, co-creator of Big Quiet, a grassroots meditation movement that creates moments of silence in unique spaces.
An unexpected "jamb" happened during the group's second major event - a sunset meditation - held on August 5 at the industrial Farm on Kent at the former Domino Sugar Factory in the Brooklyn suburb of Williamsburg. The irony was not lost on Israel, who hired a drone operator to capture the close-up from the air. “We caused noise at an event designed to create silence.”
As the creator of the Medi-Club (a meditation group made up mostly of creative urbanites), Israel wanted to bring the practice to the public on a large scale. The first Big Quiet event was held at the Rumsey Playfieldon in Central Park on June 20th. This event, organized jointly by the City Parks Foundation and SummerStage, was attended free of charge by 1,500 people.
“People think they can't meditate because they don't have a quiet corner, and then they see hundreds of people who have been able to find silence in a public place,” says Sherry Kronfeld, director of development for Ziva Meditation, a meditation center with locations in New York and Los Angeles. This summer the group offered 30-minute sessions at Bryant Park with free admission. “It’s entirely possible to find moments of solitude in the middle of downtown.”
Kronfeld and Israel both agree that guests at their events feel connected on a deeper level than if they were at a bar or a concert. “As we become more connected through digital devices, we begin to experience a greater need for human, physical contact,” says Israel.
To meet this need, Big Quiet teamed up with the Cyclones Bike Club to stage a giant bike ride to Burning Man, which ended with mass meditation and dancing in a wilderness area. And on September 21, Israel and his team will conduct a floating meditation near the Statue of Liberty - this became possible thanks to new partners.
When it comes to sponsorship, Israel gets very thoughtful. “Meditation is a hidden thing for many people. ...We have already expanded the boundaries. We don't want huge company logos accompanying our events." He also adds that the values of the sponsoring company must match those of the Media Club for the partnership to be possible. “It’s about finding the right balance.”
Grip the Mat recently teamed up with EventsDC and Reebok to host a yoga class called "[Silent] Soul & Spirits" on September 19 at the Carnegie Library.
The centerpiece of the event will be a street yoga session “SoundOff”, with headphones; the mixer will compile the music and instructor commentary, which will be transmitted through the headphones. Guests can then unwind at the library's open bar and enjoy Skinnygirl cocktails and healthy small bites from Cava Grill to the music of DJ Neekola. Tickets cost $50 per person and include bar and food. A yoga mat will be available for rent for $5.
“Headphones are not only a uniquely experiential aspect, but also an important functional tool for eliminating distractions,” explains Christy Skaroulis, co-founder of Grip the Mat, a company that organizes pop-up yoga sessions and social events in Washington, New York, and Orlando. “Living in the city, it is difficult to avoid the noise around you - sirens, car horns, people talking. One of the particularly attractive aspects of yoga is the ability to eliminate noise created by work, media, and the like. Using headphones helps solve this problem.”
And it’s not just people who do yoga and meditation who press the “mute” button. It is quite obvious that noisy, daring events have become quieter recently.
Due to New York City's strict ban on loud noises after 10 p.m., Lincoln Center was forced to take a creative (and quieter) approach to creating its summer outdoor program. Having debuted last year, silent discos held at the Center have appeared in every district of the city. The free events are part of the Lincoln Community Center's effort to bring its programs and entertainment to all surrounding areas. The silent parties play a variety of dance music, including disco, salsa, Top 40, swing - tracks are selected by three DJs on the spot. Professionals also conduct a dance lesson in advance.
“This is not quite a “disco” in the modern sense of the word. Think of a disco as a dance party,” explains Ryan Dowd, owner of Silent Events. This event company provides sound, lighting, stage design and temporary pavilion construction services, as well as wireless headset rentals, but, alas, does not yet work at Lincoln Center events. “Unlike a traditional club event where you can't hear anyone... at a silent disco, patrons can simply take off their headphones and talk to their friends in a 'normal voice.'
So, even if it seems like a “party for one,” “it’s a great experience of privacy directly in the community. People really enjoy participating in these events,” adds Jill Sternheimer, director of community programs at the Lincoln Center.
The success of silent discos inspired Big Quiet to host a stand-alone event this summer. “We wanted to find a way to use headphones in the Lincoln Center street festival. And it only took a little thought to take the step from silent disco to silent cinema,” says Sternheimer. “I’d seen venues before where musicians were commissioned to add music to silent films, but we wanted to do something different.”
On August 7, in collaboration with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and as part of the Sound & Vision Series, the Lincoln Center Festival presented a silent screening of the cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Damrosch Park - without sound. The audience listened using wireless headphones provided by Quiet Events. Also, discussion and any feedback from people was encouraged. Plus, during the event, the NYC RHPS theater group presented a shadow play production that the 2,000 moviegoers could choose to listen to or not listen to.
Translation. Original article here: https://www.bizbash.com/the-latest-event-trend-silence/new-york/story/30957#.Ws0IytNuawQ
