june 6, 2009: time travelling in new york
 

"meet time. it’s quite the renaissance conundrum. we keep it, manage it, run after it, run out of it, and we can’t seem to get enough of it. but what if? we turn it upside down; we unset it, we release it. who’s in charge here? has time created us, or have we created time? was time kept us or is time ours to keep?"
 

 

on june 6, 2009, 90 selected passengers embarked on a mysterious urban crusade.
a double decker converted time machine weaved through the city, picking up performers and creating staged interventions in 5 strategically chosen hatches.
invited with a mysterious red key, and a boarding card indicating a specific pick up location in new york, passengers inquisitively awaited for their whimsical bus ride.

through a deliberate process of creative seduction and provocation, the travelling troupe of madhatters, brassband musicians, tribal drummers, and a cabaret performer or two, embarked on a quest to investigate "time."

turkish visual artist irmak canevi, converted a double decker bus into a surreal wonderland on wheels, positioning installations inside the bus, and experiments on boards, exploring the cyclical and mechanical functions of time, with specific reference to 6s and 9s. 

the city was the canvas; the passengers were the time explorers; the bus was the time capsule. the journey lasted 14 hours.
 
 
 
 
 

credits:

director: samina virani
written by: samina virani
producer: morgan deane
visual effects: connected productions
sound design: taimur agha


june 6, 2009

soho //
east village //
chelsea //
bushwick //
ps1 //

experience made possible by:

tales and impressions:


"060609 was one of the best experiences of my life. you captured the best elements of burning man- the crowd, creativity intensity, spontaneity and ''anything is possible-rules don't exist'' mentality and exceeded it. one of my favorite aspects was being in fixed group and watching the different ways normal life reacted to us. i didn't look at my watch for 5 hours and felt as if i was transported into another realm."

- jonathan jakubowicz, agent, new york
 
"060609- one for the urban culture nyc history books:
born and raised in brooklyn, never in a million years would i ever though i would be riding a moving bus experience down the bqe as we did. truly amazing. what was almost as exciting as the experience itself was watching the reactions of the crowd on the street. people of all races, colors, ages, sizes, were bopping, following, and cheering the bus on. smiles instantly grew on peoples faces as we passed. little kids chasing the bus down the street bopping to the beats.
working with mtv and before with playboy mostly in event, it's amazing what you pulled off. i've been part of the NYC scene of the 90’s (club kids, limelight Disco 2000, palladium, tunnel, club USA, peter gatien, etc) when it was in tip top form, only to be let down in recent years. this was a welcome experience in disguise, literally. And thank you for bringing this type of thing back to nyc.
- danny perez, mtv productions, new york
 
 

"i started working at limelight in 1983 and have been to a lot of parties. this by far is one of THE BEST events i have attended. i mean, damn, I wore clown shoes for 17 hours. i wish y'all could have seen me in my mad hatter outfit riding the j train at 7am. the church goers gaped. thank y'all for a wonderful and memorable journey."

- aaron edwards, celebrity, new york
 
 
"i am looking at the photos and remembering sparkling conversations, one of a kind moments, delicious beats, and beautiful people. I see relaxed, content and happy people in costumes wondering about new york on a dreamy bus. i remind myself that this was no dream yet i choose not to open one eye that is still closed. i think i will allow myself to dream a little bit more.
thank you for making me part of this beautiful world you have created. i feel ecstatic and refueled and very very special."

- irmak canevi, artist, istanbul
 
 
 

"it was one of those very rare experiences that you re-play in your mind over and over again; you want to go back but know that, that one point in time when all those lives intersected in the colorful rhythms, costumes and faces of the bus belongs to that moment only. the bus started a whimsical journey in all of us which we will continue together in many rabbit holes. i am honored and privileged to have fallen into the rabbit hole 6/6/09 with all of you wonderful energies."
- kutay saritosun, manager gap, new york
 
"down the rabbit hole
what will be next?
down the rabbit hole
of uncovered dreams
of cool, soft winds
of warm, red suns
embracing my face
caressing my cheek with a kiss of air"
- katherine mango, new york