As part of Art in Odd Places, Brian Feldman performed at a drum kit in front of City Hall for 50 hours straight. Of course, part of that performance included eating and sleeping on the drums. I had signed up to volunteer on Saturday at 7 PM so I returned for a second sketch. The idea behind volunteers was that they would be sure the live stream camera was safe and answer any questions from passers by.
Pam Schwartz walked with me to the location along with Sprout, her scraggly-haired pup. Orange Avenue was a buzz as the clubs geared up for the weekend night of debauchery. Sprout was excited to discover all the new smells. I sat much closer to the percussive noise this time around. Brian told me that earlier in the day a huge gust of wind had lifted up the entire tent and dashed it against the flag poles to his left. Jeremy Seghers has a video of the incident. Brian’s camera was covered with a plastic bag to protect it from the rain so it didn’t catch a thing.
A mom and her son stopped to listen. The young boy wanted to perform and Brian let him sit down and start drumming. This Tom Sawyering allowed Brian a chance to get up and stretch his legs. The mom sat with Pam and told her all about each of her pet cats.
Brian now resides in Washington DC. I let him know that I would be sketching in DC the next day. He suggested I see an exhibit of moving light displays called Lumia by Thomas Wilfred (1889–1968). These mesmerizing displays all predate the digital age and are created by translucent objects and refracted light that display ever-changing colored forms against a black background. They resemble Aurora Borealis, but are more complex and ever-changing. One display had just a slight gap in the side which allowed a glimpse of the inner mechanical workings.