Around 2:30 PM on Friday November 10, 2017 Performance Artist Brian Feldman began playing drums in front of the Orange County City Hall on Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando. The invite claimed the location to be 300 Lincoln Plaza which is a parking garage and corporate offices. However, Brian was in a much better location across South Street in front of City Call. Drum Schtick was his contribution to Noise: A Visual and Performance Public Art Festival in Downtown Orlando. Brian has never performed on drums in his life, but he will be banging away for 50 hours, the full duration of the Art in Odd Places Festival. Drum Schtick is going to be his longest performance piece to date and he confided to me that it will be his hardest.
When I arrived Brian and his dad Edward were rolling up the side panels to the tent which were billowing like sails. The fellow Brian rented the drum set from was there to offer a few tips until Brian got started and then he wandered off. Online Brian set up a volunteer sign up sheet so people could be at the location with him so he would remain safe, Over the course of the 50 hours he will have to sleep on the drum set in the evening. His dad set up an iPhone which was live streaming the performance. I signed up for a two hour window to sketch but Brian suggested I sketch the very beginning since he might get shut down by police. As of this writing, he is still at it.
During the initial hours, three dancers began to perform inspirational dance to Brian’s beats. Rebekah Lane wore a walkie talkie on her lapel Emma Cotter a choreographer from Brooklyn NY was on the sidelines offering arrive on what dance movements they should perform next. I was impressed they did n amazing job performing with Brian’s first beats. I have to wonder if Brian will become a virtuoso in 50 hours or will he degrade into loosing all sense of rhythm.
Brian should be finishing his performance around 4:30 PM on Sunday November 12, 2017. Be sure to catch his performance before that time.
