Route 28: The Banality of Travel

"Route 28" was inspired by an improvised game that took place one evening in the summer of 2010, while driving from NYC to upstate New York. As such, the video is incomplete: a montage of various scenes along Route 28 with minimal background audio. The crux of the piece comes into being when viewed by a participatory audience: with instructions to either say what they see, say what they're thinking, or to read passages from random texts, each individual's utterance towards the screen merges into a fluctuating chorus of cacophony that highlights the fluidity and ease with which travel-inspired listlessness can transform into delirious, interactive game-play.

Presented at Noise! 2010, St. Mark's Church, NYC - 06/26/10.

Before the start of this clip, I gave the audience a little background and instructions on what to do while watching the video. Here's the gist of what I said:

- This video is incomplete, and requires audience participation.

- This video is split into thirds:
For the first third of the video, say what you see on the screen.
For the middle third of the video, say whatever comes to mind while watching.
For the last third of the video, read random passages from $1 books I bought from outside The Strand earlier that day.

Thanks to Galen Joseph-Hunter, Tianna Kennedy, Madalyn Warren and free103point9. Special thanks to the gracious, creative and eclectic mix of people in the audience, without whom this wouldn't have been possible.

-John "Patience" Dalessi
http://wontloversrevoltnow.com/

Noise! 2010: http://www.free103point9.org/events/2281