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Song by Anthony King and Scott Brown (Gutenberg! The Musical!)

For our latest mission, seven undercover agents staged a spontaneous musical during lunch at the Trump Tower atrium. The mission was filmed for a segment on The Today Show and includes a cameo from Ann Curry. Enjoy the video first and then go behind the scenes with our report below.

Still Photos: Katie Sokoler and Chad Nicholson.
Additional video work by: Matt Adams

The Today Show has featured Improv Everywhere a few times in the past, and this fall they asked if we could create a mission for them that Ann Curry could have a part in. Specifically, they were big fans of Food Court Musical and wanted to work with us to stage something similar. (In the time between the show approaching us and the segment airing, we had the opportunity to produce Grocery Store Musical as well.) The Today Show crew would produce the mission (providing hidden cameras, microphones, and a PA system), and we would be in charge of the creative side.

Agent Brown rehearses with the cast

Once again longtime agents and Gutenberg! The Musical! authors Scott Brown & Anthony King served as our songwriting team. They also both appeared as actors in the musical, along with some senior IE Agents and comedians from The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. We had a rehearsal at a Manhattan studio where Agent Brown taught the song, and Agent King worked on the choreography.

Rehearsing in the space

The night before the mission, we were able to rehearse in our location. The Today Show was able to get permission from Trump Tower to stage the musical in the seating area of their atrium, a popular lunch spot for tourists and people who work in the building.

The incredible tech set up

The Today Show pulled out all the stops, tech wise. The crew set up in a huge storage room just off the atrium. There were seven robotic HD cameras set up in the space, each controlled by a dedicated operator via joystick. An eighth camera filmed the control room for behind-the-scenes shots.

Our camera angles

Zooming in on Agent King

The cameras were extremely well hidden in the space either behind tinted glass or hidden among plants on the balcony above.

We also hid speakers in the plants all around the seating area, so that the song could be amplified live during the mission.

Ann Curry wasn’t able to make it to the rehearsals, so we met her for the first time the morning of the mission. We worked in the back room and taught her the choreography, and Agent Brown helped her learn her part. Ann is not a singer, so she was nervous about getting her line just right. She was super easy to work with and very quickly became one of the team.

Agents in place at the start of the mission

We staged the mission a few times throughout the day to make sure we got the best possible take and camera coverage. The first take started around 12 Noon. We had to wait about a half hour between each take to make sure we had a new group of people dining around us.

Agent Hiller starts the song, “I love lunch / It’s half the way to dinner”

Heads started to turn

Agent Lindquist stands up and declares, “I love lunch!”

A man laughs at Agent Lindquist joining in

Agents Brown and Thomas stand up and join the song
“I like my chili with corn / I like my sandwich served warm”

Agent Hiller runs downstairs in time for his next line

Large crowds of tourists started watching from the balcony

“We’re gonna use our sporks now!”

Sporks (that I “borrowed” from a Taco Bell) held high in the air

“We’re major lunch dorks now!”

Laughing at our choreography

“There ain’t no shame in loving lunch!”

A member of the NYPD interrupts the singers

“You’re singing a song about lunch?”

“I love lunch toooooo!”

I think Agent Santangeli’s performance as the cop fooled the guy above, because he was laughing pretty hard when he figured out he was in on it.

“We all love lunch / We’re gonna sing it louder!”

“I’m eating clam chowder!”

Agent Curry was awesome. She nailed her line and then removed her hat to join the finale (she wore a hat to try to stay incognito lest she be spotted by fans before her part.)

With so many tourists there, it seemed like everyone had a camera

Applauding the finale

After the song ended our agents, including Agent Curry, sat back at their respective tables and continued eating lunch as if nothing had happened.

Telling stories afterwards in the back

We had a blast working on this mission. It was an excellent opportunity to get to work with The Today Show and their fancy equipment, and it was nice to have our work reach their massive television audience. Hopefully along the way we were able to deliver a very important message: There ain’t no shame in loving lunch.

Mission Accomplished

- The Today Show’s segment on this mission:

- Many more photos in higher resolution:
- Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set
- Agent Nicholson’s Flickr Set
- Our other musicals: Food Court Musical & Grocery Store Musical
- Buy the cast recording of Gutenberg! The Musical, also by Brown & King.

If this is your first time here:
-our nearly 100 other missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
-New Yorkers join our NY Agents list
-We have a book and a DVD for sale!

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Song by Anthony King and Scott Brown (Gutenberg! The Musical!)

For our latest mission, six undercover actors burst into song in a grocery store in Queens. Three minutes and lots of silly choreography later, they returned to their roles as shoppers and stock boys. The mission was filmed with hidden robotic, lipstick, and wearable cameras. Enjoy the video first and then go behind the scenes with our report below.

We had a couple of really excellent hidden camera reaction interviews that got cut from the final video. I put them together in an outtake video:

Produced by: Disposable Television
Director of Photography: TV Boy
Still Photos: Katie Sokoler

We’ve been wanting to stage a follow up to our Food Court Musical mission for quite some time. Unfortunately, we’re not able to produce a musical like that without some serious help in the budget department. (Food Court Musical was produced for a TV pilot.) Last month Trident Layers expressed interest in sponsoring an Improv Everywhere event (giving us creative control and using no product placement), and I knew this would be a great opportunity to create a new public musical.

Agent Brown rehearses with Agents Kayne and Rustin

I knew from the start that in order to make a worthy follow up to Food Court Musical, I would have to use the same songwriting team, Scott Brown & Anthony King. Not only are they longtime Improv Everywhere Agents, they’re also the authors of the hit Off-Broadway musical, Gutenberg! The Musical!. Their songs, both catchy and hilarious, have been stuck in my head for many a sleepless night.

The cast rehearsing

The cast were all actors I knew from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. We had to cast people who could really sing well, given the “slow jam” nature of the song. We had a rehearsal at a Manhattan studio where Agent Brown taught them the song, and Agent King worked on the choreography.

Rehearsing in the store

The next night we had a rehearsal in the grocery store itself. The store was part of a small chain called “Best Yet” and was located in Astoria, Queens. We chose it for its enormous size, at least by New York standards.

Our rehearsal was late at night, right before the store closed. There were very few people shopping at that hour, so we wouldn’t get a real sense of how crowded the produce section would be until the actual mission the next day. We worked with the store and got permission, enabling us to set up hidden cameras. We used some incredible robotic cameras that were operated via joystick in the control room in the back.

The control room

Speakers

We had planned to just use the store’s PA system to play the song. At the dress rehearsal we learned that grocery store speakers sound awful when the volume gets cranked up. The bass turned to fuzz. So we hid some additional speakers under the muffin table to give their system a boost.

In addition to the robotic cameras hidden on high ledges and in security domes, Agent Adams had a couple of camera rigs he could control out on the floor. We put a lipstick camera on the end of a cart and filled it with groceries. He was able to push it around the area while watching what he was filming on a little monitor.

Agent Adams also had a hidden camera in the strap of his bag, getting a great POV shot of anyone he talked to.

His main job was to get reactions from shoppers after the musical ended. He wore a hidden microphone and also wore an earpiece, enabling me to talk to him from the control room and say things like, “Try to get the woman you’re talking to to turn around; we’re only seeing the back of her head.”

Control room monitor

We staged the mission a few times throughout the day to make sure we got the best possible take and camera coverage. The first take started around 1 PM.

The first few moments were always hilarious. As soon as Agent Kayne started in with his “No, no, no’s,” heads began to turn.

When we did Food Court Musical, we had a pretty good idea of where our audience would be– sitting at the tables. This was more unpredictable. We had all of this choreography planned, but we had no idea if people would make way for us. The area got increasingly crowded as the day went on, which made it all the more fun. Often people found themselves right in the middle of the show.

A woman laughs as Agent Johnson passes with his basket

The woman above took her cart right through the center just as the chorus began. It was like she was a part of the choreography.

Agent Scott’s character was pregnant; she was not. We used a fake belly. She had shoppers coming up to her before and after the song asking when she was due, etc.

Agent Fernandez helps a customer find an item from the circular

Agents Brown and Fernandez played the two stock boy characters. This meant they spent most of the day walking around the floor in the store’s uniform. Of course they were constantly being stopped by customers asking for help.

Our musical was staged very close to the front door, so lots of folks would walk in mid-song. It was fun to see their reactions as they entered and were immediately confronted by our ridiculousness. We got so many wonderful reactions from everyone in the store throughout the afternoon. Queens is the most diverse county in the entire world, and it was really wonderful seeing all of the different types of people laugh and smile.

Letting a friend on the phone listen in

This guy was particularly excited (as seen in the video)

There was always a nice crowd near the registers looking over

The musical got even more absurd when Agent Brown carted Agent Fernandez down the aisle. Agent Fernandez delivered his passionate speech into a price gun, and the two starting spinning while the rest of the cast circled them, building up to the finale.

Before the shoppers could finish applauding, our actors were back to normal life. Those playing customers went back to shopping and those playing stock boys got back to work.

Agent Brown prices some fruit

Mission Accomplished

- Many more photos in higher resolution: Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set
- Our first musical: Food Court Musical
- Buy the original cast recording of Gutenberg! The Musical, also by Brown & King.

If this is your first time here:
-our nearly 100 other missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
-New Yorkers join our NY Agents list
-We have a book and a DVD for sale!

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edited by Matt Adams / “The Dogs Were Let Out by Whom?” song by Tyler Walker

For our latest mission, over 2,000 people walked “invisible dogs” down the streets of Brooklyn on a Sunday afternoon. The leashes were on loan from the current owner of 51 Bergen Street, the factory space where the invisible dog toy was invented in the 1970s. Participants of all ages spread out from Red Hook to Brooklyn Heights, very seriously walking their very silly dogs.

Digital Video: Agents Adams, Haskel, VanDamme
Digital Photography: Agents Nicholson, Sokoler

About a month ago I got an email from Keith Schweitzer from No Longer Empty. The group transforms vacant spaces into public art exhibitions and had an exhibition coming up in an abandoned factory in Brooklyn. He told me there were over 2,000 invisible dog leashes collecting dust on a shelf and wondered if I would like to put them to use. Yes, please.

The crowd

The factory space served as our meeting point. It’s an incredibly cool spot, and it was fun knowing that the leashes we would be using were created right there in the 1970s. The building was recently bought by a French artist, who is converting it into an art space.

It’s tough to say exactly how many participants showed up. We had over 3,000 RSVPs, and the crowd was so large that we filled up the giant warehouse and then had an enormous line of people waiting to get in winding around the block. I think it’s safe to say more than 2,000 showed up. Thankfully, we had enough leashes for everyone.

Explaining the mission

All of the participants showed up having no idea what they would be doing. I gave a quick talk explaining the history of the building and what the mission would entail, and then we passed out the leashes. Everyone was just told to spread out and go on a walk for an hour or so, behaving as if they were walking an actual dog.

Passing out leashes

We had a very diverse group of agents, with folks of all ages and races participating.

Three dogs pass at an intersection

The guy above told me his nickname was “Big Dog” and that’s why he had the “BEWARE OF THE DOG” bumper sticker. It certainly seemed appropriate for the mission.

There were so many great reactions throughout the day. With 2,000 people spread out all over the neighborhood, it was impossible to document them all. Most people laughed or smiled. Some ignored us. Others got irritated when no one would tell them what was going on. Typical dialogue went about like this:

Stranger: Where did you get that?
Agent: What? My dog? At a shelter.
Stranger: No, the leash.
Agent: At a pet store.
Stranger: Ahh! No one will tell me what is happening!

Everyone had their own theory about what must be happening. The two most common I overheard were that we were promoting shelter dogs and that we were protesting dog poop.

Some of the best reactions came from folks in cars. Anyone driving on Court or Smith Streets would have seen hundreds of dogs in a very short span of time. Lots of people rolled down their windows to shout questions. One guy driving an MTA bus even pulled over, opened his door, and asked what was going on with a laugh.

The best reactions came from those who played along and Yes Anded us. Lots of people really got into it and stopped to join the fun. “Oh what breed is he?” “Can I pet him?” “He’s so cute!”

There were lots of kids on the streets, and it was fun to see their reactions. Several parents played along, and some kids were a little confused when their mom or dad claimed to see the dog as well.

We also had lots of children working as agents.

Apparently this kid’s dog climbed the fence!

The Dutton family all participated together

The most fun part of the mission was running into real dogs. I think it’s the first time we’ve ever confused animals during an Improv Everywhere mission. I loved seeing their reactions.

Lot of participants visited local establishments along their walk. Bars and cafes were soon filled with invisible dogs, at least the ones that allowed dogs were.

Grabbing a drink while keeping the dogs outside

The pet store on Smith had some visitors

Someone purchased a bone for the dogs

A dog kennel quickly put up the above sign on their door after getting a few rings from folks wanting to discuss lodging for their invisible dogs. I can’t say I blame them. Other establishments did all they could to attract the dogs and their owners into spending their money.

The Jake Walk bar was especially generous

Those waiting tables in bars and cafes were treated to a steady stream of passing dogs. Many had to go outside to get a better look.

Picking up invisible poop

Of course, dog ownership is not all fun and games.

Chasing pigeons

Going in two directions

Sniffing trash

Taking a leak

Chasing a bike

Agent Zalowitz takes a spill

Agent Lathan was a dog walker

Agent Lindquist and I had a very pleasant Sunday stroll with our new invisible Basset Hound puppy.

After a couple of hours, agents started slowly returning to the meeting point to turn in their leashes. Many were sad to tell their invisible dogs goodbye. It was really fun to do a mission that was so spread out, both in time and in space. It felt like we really blanketed the whole neighborhood with our silliness.

Mission Accomplished

Many more photos in higher resolution:
- Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set
- Agent Nicholson’s Flickr Set
- More photos at No Longer Empty
- Learn more about the history of 51 Bergen Street.

Stream or Download “The Dogs Were Let Out by Whom?” by Tyler Walker:

You can read the Agent Reports from folks who were involved in the comments on this post.

If this is your first time here:
-our nearly 100 other missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
-New Yorkers join our NY Agents list
-We have a book and a DVD for sale!

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edited by Matt Adams / score by Tyler Walker

For our latest mission, we installed a photography studio on a random subway car. We claimed that the MTA had hired us to take photos of every single person who rides the subway and that we’d be producing a yearbook at the end of the year. Most people were happy to pose for us, and the resulting photos show just how diverse New York subway riders can be. Enjoy the video first and then check out the mission report and photos below.

See this image in high resolution.

Digital Video: Agents Adams, Yoshida, Garofalo
Digital Photography: Agent Sokoler
Portrait Photography: Agent Nicholson

This mission was tons of fun for me personally, because it really reminded me of the early days of Improv Everywhere. Those first couple of years we did so many simple ideas on the subway all with the simple goal of making people laugh and smile. It’s great to work on projects with thousands of people, but it’s also fun to see what you can do with just a couple of folks and a few props.

Agents Nicholson, Duarte, Martini

We collaborated with local production company Hello World on this mission. They wanted to film us for a Brazillian TV show, so we invited them to be a part of team. The show’s hosts, Agents Duarte and Martini, played the role of the “ringers”– they’d blend in with the crowd on the train and hop up to get their photo taken to encourage others to do the same. One nice thing about working with Hello World is that they specialize in shooting video with the fancy new Canon DSLR cameras. Since the Canons looked like still cameras, no one would know they were filming.

Filming my intro

For our roles as the photographer and the photographer’s assistant, Agent Nicholson and I wanted to try to dress on the cheesy side, to emulate the yearbook photographers we remembered from high school. I shaved my beard and left a ridiculous mustache and paired it with a $7.99 short sleeve dress shirt I found on the K-Mart clearance rack. Agent Nicholson wore a matching blue shirt, matching khakis, and a sport coat.

Setting up

After getting organized we took to the 6 Train (clearly by now Improv Everywhere’s favorite train) and set up our studio. We clamped a blue backdrop sheet to the polls, and set up our stool, tripod, and flashes. We set up at the end of the car and did our best to not make things too cramped. Still, it was a comically small space for a photo studio.

Riders gawk as we set up

People enter at the first stop

Things got crowded pretty quickly

My main job as the photographer’s assistant was to inform everyone who entered the car about our project. We claimed that we had been hired by the MTA to make a 2009/2010 yearbook of the entire subway system. “Today we’re on car number 9 of the 6 train,” I said, “We’ll here all day, and we’ll move to car number 8 tomorrow. Then on to the next line. It’s a long process.” Making a complete yearbook is a pretty absurd idea if you really think about it– over 4.3 million people ride the subway each day in New York.

Laughing

We weren’t sure how easy it would be to get people to sit for a photo. We were pleasantly surprised by how willing most people were to be a part of it. We ended up not really needing our “ringer” agents more than once or twice– the stool was almost always occupied.

Signing our bogus MTA form

We took down everyone’s email addresses after their photo and, as promised, emailed them a link to download their portrait. You can’t beat that free service!

As you would expect, the train ride was pretty bumpy. A few riders opted to hold Agent Nicholson’s hand as they walked over to the stool. Some held on to the nearby pole during their shot. We had to work hard to keep our umbrella flash stands and the tripod from falling over at every twist and turn, but it added to the absurdity of our studio.

Agent Nicholson snaps a photo of Agent Sokoler snapping a photo

I had a mirror on hand in case anyone needed it before posing. Agent Nicholson ended up gaff-taping his tripod to the pole.

It was fun watching people make the decision to participate. The guy above was amused by what we were doing but told me he definitely didn’t want to pose. After watching a few others do it, he changed his mind.

A more serious pose

While Agent Nicholson snapped away, I continued my job of recruiting new subjects. I couldn’t talk everyone into it but most everyone was polite and fun to talk to.

This woman was nice, but told me she was sure she didn’t want her photo taken. A moment later she was smiling as someone else posed, and then looked at me, shrugged, and sat down herself.

Checking the mirror

Once we reached 125th Street, we got out and rode the train back down town, repeating the mission a second time.

This woman’s reaction was great. She was definitely taken off guard by our studio.

But just a few minutes later, she came over and posed.

I noticed a woman on the other side of the car who was putting a little bit of makeup on. She hadn’t volunteered yet, but I could tell she was quietly preparing. I called her out on it, and she laughed and walked over to the stool.

Almost all of the people who did not want to participate were still able to let their guard down and listen to our pitch with a smile. The woman facing the door in the photo above was probably the only person we really failed to reach in any way. She walked directly to the door and faced away from us for several stops, doing her best to completely ignore us. Oh well.

Towards the end of our second ride, there was a family of five who posed for us.

It was exciting to get an infant in our yearbook!

As the train approached the last stop, Agent Nicholson and I posed for a few photos in our studio before taking it down.

It was a super fun afternoon. While conventional wisdom would have you believe that New Yorkers are cynical and gruff– we had no trouble finding lots of fun people willing to get on board with two lame looking dudes in cheap blue dress shirts. You can see the full set of Agent Nicholson’s portraits here.

I remember when I first moved to the city eight years ago, I was blown away by the diversity on the subway. You can be on a train car in Queens and look around to realize that every single rider has a unique ethnicity. It was fun to capture that diversity with these photos, and to also show how much in common we all have. We may have different backgrounds, but we’re all in the same damn yearbook!

Mission Accomplished

Many more photos in higher resolution:
Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set
Agent Nicholson’s portraits

If this is your first time here:
-our other 85+ missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
-New Yorkers join our NY Agents list
-We have a book and a DVD for sale!

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edited by Matt Adams

For our Sixth Annual Mp3 Experiment, over 2,000 people of all ages downloaded the same mp3, pressed play at the same time, and had a blast together. This year’s event took place on Roosevelt Island, a thin strip of land in the middle of the East River. We would like to thank Yahoo! for their continued partnership with The Mp3 Experiment series. Their support helped make this project truly awesome (1,400 inflatable weapons wouldn’t have been possible without them!) Enjoy the video recap first, and then check out the full photos and report.

Original Music and Sound Design: Agent Walker
Digital Video: Agents Adams, Shafer, Haskel, Person
Digital Photography: Agents Sokoler, Fountain, Chigirev, Hambly, Liu
Lone Wolf: Agent Scordelis

If you’ve never heard of The Mp3 Experiment series, you can read about it here: The Mp3 Experiments.

This year’s location was Roosevelt Island. It’s a really beautiful place, situated in between Manhattan and Queens on the East River. There are about 12,000 residents on the island. To participate in this year’s experiment, agents were given these instructions. Everyone synchronized their watch to the clock on the instruction page, downloaded the mp3, wore a red, blue, yellow, or green shirt, and then traveled to the island. At exactly 4:00 PM, everyone would press play from wherever they happened to be on the island.

It’s always fun to spot other participants in the hours leading up to the event. Everyone was told to wear red, blue, green, or yellow shirts. It’s pretty easy to figure out who will be participating.

By 3:30, the crowd started to get really huge. There is one subway stop on the island, and each arriving F train brought tons of colorful folks.

Participants exiting the subway station

One participant managed to find a quiet spot all to himself

We had a wonderfully diverse group of people show up again this year. All ages, races, and backgrounds were present. We had newborns, children, high school kids, college students, 20/30somethings, parents, and grandparents, all playing together.

Mom, Dad, Son, Dog

I always enjoy participating alone and try to sit away from anyone I know personally. I took a seat on the west coast of the island right next to a family who had a red-shirted dog with them. He was awesome!

The Brown twins (Human Mirror agents!)

4:00 arrived, and participants scattered all over the island pressed play. After the awesome opening song by Tyler Walker, Steve (the omnipotent “voice from above”/narrator of every Mp3 Experiment) introduced himself and led us in some light breathing and stretching.

Participants stretch their groins

Condo residents look down at the masses on their courtyard

Steve had us jump to our feet like popping popcorn and throw our hands in the air.

Jumping up from the ground

A woman throws her hands in the air in reaction to the field of participants doing the same

Next up was the traditional geography test. Participants were asked to point to the sites of some of the past Mp3 Experiments and then towards Nicaragua, the direction of which many sadly haven’t learned yet!

Disagreement

Next up was the “audience interaction” phase of the experiment. Participants were instructed to high five as many non-participants as they could find. Part of the fun of the Mp3 Experiment each year is seeing the looks on the faces of those who happen upon us and have no idea what is going on.

This guy got MANY high fives

Some folks even went into the stores and cafes on the island to give high fives. The next task was to form single file lines behind non participants, making them an unknowing leader in a short game of Follow the Leader.

On my section of the island, there were a half-dozen really funny lines of people. It was hilarious walking on one side of the street in a giant line and seeing another line across the street walking in the opposite direction. Many of the non-participants were laughing at the other lines, while not realizing they had a hundred people lined up behind them as well!

Two lines formed behind two public safety officers

At first, this guy didn’t realize what was behind him

Thumbs up!

The next activity was square dancing. Participants dosey-doed with as many people as they could while a silly square dance song played. It was fun constantly switching partners, and the laughter was infectious.

Steve then called for “Nap time!” Everyone dropped to the ground at the same instant and took a fifteen second power nap.

Notice the one woman on the bench

It was time for everyone to take a walk together to the southern tip of the island. Steve went to grab his favorite soda while his estranged cousin Dave entertained everyone with a story that took place on Roosevelt Island many years ago (or not.) You can listen to the story (written by Tyler Walker) here: Peters and the Wolves.

As everyone began merging together on the paths on either side of the island, it started to become clear just how many people were participating.

It was about a fifteen minute walk to get to southern tip (longer for those who were in the back.) Participants walked along the river, enjoying Manhattan skyline views. They entered the gates to Southpoint Park and passed the old, abandoned Renwick smallpox hospital.

The crowd then followed a short path over the hill and found themselves in a beautiful green space with stunning views in every direction.

Southpoint Park (minus our participants)

People watch as 2,000+ participants arrive in the park

A picnic is interrupted

The park was mostly empty. I’m always surprised at how few people are there, considering how cool it is. There were a few people milling about, and a group of folks sitting in the grass. Hopefully they enjoyed the spectacle. If not, we were gone 20 minutes later anyway.

After everyone had arrived, a game of freeze tag broke out, with the different colors taking turns being “it.”

After all of that running around, it was time for another power nap!

It’s really tough to show just how many people were at the experiment. Unfortunately we didn’t have access to any tall buildings across the river, so we couldn’t get a proper overhead shot. The pictures from the ground level don’t quite capture how ridiculously packed the park was.

Steve announced it was time for a dance party, but first he had to tell a couple of secrets. He had the red/yellow and blue/green groups take their headphones off in turn so he could speak privately to the other group. Blue/green were told to dance like they were from the 1920s and red/yellow were told to dance like they were from the 2020s. What followed was a 2,000+ person dance party for flappers and robots.

Party like it’s 2029

For the finale, Steve introduced everyone to a new game, Bats vs. Hammers. The red/yellow team headed to the northern part of the field and received 700 inflatable bats while the blue/green team went to the southern part of the field to receive 700 inflatable hammers. I figured 1,400 weapons would be enough, but hundreds of people didn’t get a weapon and had to participate in spirit.

Rob blows up his bat

The red/yellow team

The blue/green team

Agent Phire leads his team into battle

Agent Mike the Man charges with his hammer

Steve interrupted the fight suddenly. “Why must we hit each other with inflatable objects every Mp3 Experiment?” he said. He told the crowd that while they were fighting, the Lone Wolf (a character mentioned in the story they heard earlier) had made his way to the park. It was time to unite against a common enemy! Steve had everyone remove their colored shirts to reveal their white shirt underneath. Everyone was now on the same team!

Participants wave their shirts overhead as they prepare to fight the Lone Wolf

Through a cloud of smoke, the Lone Wolf appeared on the staircase at the southern tip of the island.

A couple of thousand people beat on the wolf (he was wisely wearing a cup.)

The attack on the wolf captured by someone across the river in Queens (via)

The Lone Wolf is dead!

Steve instructed everyone to celebrate their victory in slow motion. While some Chariots of Fire-ish music played, the masses high fived and hugged each other at quarter speed.

The dog wasn’t so good at slow motion

The experiment came to an end as the crowd all shouted “goodbye!” to Steve in unison.

We were blown away by how many people came out to participate. We can’t thank you enough for supporting Improv Everywhere and coming out to play with us. It’s just so cool to see all sorts of people young and old getting together to do something so ridiculous, just for the fun of it.

Unfortunately we were not able to tour The Mp3 Experiment this year, but hopefully we will again one day (The 2008 tour was so much fun.) We do enjoy bringing The Mp3 Experiment to new places, so if you know a festival or university that wants to hire us to stage an experiment in your area, let us know. We’ve recently staged experiments at festivals in Berlin and Australia.

And if you’re a fan of Improv Everywhere, show your support by buying or new book!

Agent Erde poses with Agent Todd and Agent Scordelis (still in wolf costume) after getting his book signed following The Mp3 Experiment

Finally, I just had to share this photo I randomly found on Facebook, clearly taken a bit later on in the evening.

Mission Accomplished.

PHOTOS
Agent Sokoler’s Photos
Agent Fountain’s Photos
Agent Hambly’s Photos
Agent Chigirev’s Photos
Agent Liu’s Photos
Roosevelt L!VE’s Photos

AUDIO
You can download some of the songs from The Mp3 Experiment on Agent Walker’s MySpace page.

AGENT REPORTS
Check out first hand reports from participants on the Recap Page. Add your own report if you were there.

Read David Pogue’s write up of the event for The New York Times

Agent Small did a secret sequel of Subway Art Gallery Opening in the F train stop for participants to see on their way home. Check out her photos of the project.

HIRE US
We have also toured The Mp3 Experiment around the world to places like Berlin, Germany and Adelaide, Australia. If you’re part of an organization (festival, university, arts group) that is interested in commissioning an Mp3 Experiment, get in touch via our contact form.

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(View it larger on YouTube)
edited by Matt Adams / score by Tyler Walker

For our latest mission, we picked a random couple getting married at the City Clerk’s Office in Manhattan and threw them a surprise wedding reception. The couple was treated to dancing, toasts, cake, and gifts, all with complete strangers. Enjoy the video first and then check out the mission report and photos below.

Digital Video: Agents Adams, Shafer, Schackman
Digital Photography: Agents Sokoler, Slocum
Mission Inspired By: Matthew Benjamin

We met at 1 PM on a rainy Monday afternoon at Foley Square, a public park just across the street from the Office of the City Clerk (and also coincidentally the meeting point for our annual No Pants Subway Rides.) I was worried that the weather was going to ruin the mission. We had no back up plan.

Agent Briefing

When I arrived at the park I noticed there were four large, white tents by the fountain. They were set up for some type of job fair. I chatted up a woman working for the fair. She told me they were leaving in less than an hour and happily gave me the number for the party company that had set the tents up. I managed to talk the party company into keeping the tents up for another two hours (for a reasonable price, of course.) It was a beautiful moment of serendipity. There is no way we could have secured a permit to set up tents for a wedding reception in the middle of New York City, but since they were already up and permitted for someone else, we slid right in. Not only would the tents keep us dry, they would also make the whole reception much more authentic.

Setting up

While the rest of the agents went to go set everything up in the tents, I headed over alone to the marriage bureau. My task was to select the random couple who we’d offer the reception to. I had visited the building a few times in the weeks leading up to the mission to get a feel for how the system worked. There were probably forty couples waiting in line to either get married or get a license for a marriage on a future date. I quickly spotted a couple that looked perfect for our mission; they were next in line to go into the wedding chapel. The bride was wearing a white dress and had her father with her. The groom was dressed in a suit with a boutonnière and was accompanied by both of his parents and his sister. The family members were taking photos of them, and they all seemed so happy. They stood out from the other couples, most of whom were by themselves and in casual clothes.

As soon as they emerged from the chapel, I rushed outside to prepare to greet them on the front steps of the building. To capture the moment, I wore a wireless microphone and had Agent Schackman film me from about forty feet away.

Greeting the couple

As soon as they got outside, I approached the couple and informed them that I was from the mayor’s office and we were giving a “free wedding reception” to one random couple today. Before I could even finish telling them all of the things we had set up, the bride laughed and said, “Let’s go!” I had been a little nervous that they might turn it down (maybe they already had plans to celebrate somewhere else?) and figured I might have to ask a few couples before we found the right one. Nope. They were immediately down. “Can’t say no to that,” the groom told me and then added, “We’re cynical New Yorkers so this is a little hard to believe.”

The bride and her father on the steps

On the way over I learned their names, Raff and Frank. They were both enthusiastic on the short walk over, though I’m sure they were a little suspicious about the whole thing. When we turned the corner and got to the other side of the fountain, they were met with a huge cheer from their fifty-person wedding reception.

Frank and Raff laugh as Frank’s sister snaps a photo

Our “cater waiter” Agent Silver greeted them with two champagne flutes filled with cider, and our “wedding planner” Agent Reeves introduced herself.

Reception guests form two lines and cheer as the couple walks through

Our DJ, Agent Dunn, cued up Michael Buble’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” and Frank and Raff had their first dance as a married couple.

Frank’s sister and Raff’s dad take photos of the first dance

The wedding party joins the couple on the dance floor

The father of the bride dance was next. DJ Dunn cued up The Temptations’ “My Girl” and Raff danced with her dad. We had Agent Wimpy on hand to play the role of father of the bride in case our bride didn’t have her father with her, but it was all the more awesome that her real dad was there.

After the special dances were over, it was time to party. DJ Dunn had prepared a playlist of wedding favorites for everyone to dance to.

Agent Dunn in his wedding DJ attire

The Electric Slide

The Macarena

A random woman in the park dances along to The Macarena

This mission wasn’t focused on getting reactions from the random New Yorkers who happened to walk by. I hadn’t really thought about how strange it would be to come upon a wedding reception in a public park on a Monday afternoon at 2 PM. Throughout the party, people stopped to smile, take photos, and even dance along to the music.

Agent Lathan gives the Best Man toast

The toasts were next. I instructed the Best Man and Maid of Honor to give the best toasts they could, considering they had never met the couple. Rather than making up specifics, they chose to just say nice (though vague) things about the bride and groom.

The bride and Maid of Honor meet each other for the first time

Raff and Agent Lindquist, fast friends!

“To the couple!”

Agent Lee writes the couple’s names on the cake

Family taking photos of the cake

After everyone had a bite of cake, it was time for the bouquet and garter tosses.

Raff’s sister-in-law catches the bouquet

Agent Purnell catches the garter

Agent Sokoler took some posed photos both with the “fake” wedding party as well as the real family.

Agent Lindquist bought the bridesmaid dresses on the cheap at Old Navy and then spruced them up with pink bows. Agent Fairey bought matching boutonnières for the groomsmen.

Sneaking a kiss

The real family

After the photos, Frank and Raff opened up their gifts. We had around 20 gifts wrapped for them. Most of them were gift cards to a popular store (we didn’t want to give them a bunch of heavy presents to carry unexpectedly.) Agent Gordon had recently gotten married himself, and he wrapped a couple of gifts he received but didn’t want. So it was nice for them to get a couple of non-gift card presents as well.

It was time to send the couple off, or at least around the block. Agent Simmons distributed bird seed to everyone (bird seed is the new rice, in case you didn’t hear), and we prepared to shower the couple.

Agent Simmons

I rented a pedicab for the occasion to take Frank and Raff for a brief post-reception ride. Agent Toledo decorated it with streamers and a “Just Married” sign.

One last kiss for the crowd

Once they got back from their pedicab ride, Frank and Raff packed up their presents and told their wedding guests goodbye. I took them aside and confessed that I wasn’t actually from the mayor’s office (if that wasn’t completely obvious by now). I explained that we were just a group of people who liked throwing fun events like this. It was a small break of character, but one that didn’t seem too important. This was pretty far from a prank, and the experience wasn’t changed by the confession. I had only told them I was from the mayor’s office to get them on board. It seemed more convincing than, “I’m a complete stranger who wants to throw you a party.” We exchanged contact information so I could arrange to send them the photos and video.

The family leaving the reception

The reception was an incredibly fun time. We had planned to stage the mission for more than one couple, but Frank and Raff were just too perfect. They stayed for over an hour and completely yes-anded everything we threw at them. There were moments where it felt like we actually did all know each other and you sort of forgot you were “acting.”

The day after the reception, I got an email from Frank and Raff:

Whatever becomes of our “scene” we just wanted to say thanks because it was freakin’ hilarious. The most important thing for us is that you gave us just about the best wedding story anyone could have to pass on. Take good care.

Not a bad outcome for a rainy wedding day in Lower Manhattan. Thank God for those tents. Congrats to Frank and Raff!!!!

Mission Accomplished

Many more photos in higher resolution:
Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set
Agent Slocum’s Flickr Set
Agent Scott’s Flickr Set

Our very talented Agent Adams and Sokoler are available to film and/or photograph weddings in the tri-state area. Contact them at mattadamsapple at gmail _ com

If this is your first time here:
-our other 85+ missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
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-We have a book and a DVD for sale!

(YouTube video link)
edited by Matt Adams

Now that the cat is out of the bag about our Best Funeral Ever April Fool’s Hoax, we figured it would be fun to share some of the behind-the-scenes video and photos from the project. Here’s how we did it, along with some of the more ridiculous things we cut for being just too over-the-top.

Digital Video: Agents Adams
Digital Photography: Agents Nicholson, Sokoler

Obviously we would never, ever do an Improv Everywhere mission at a real funeral. The goal for the hoax was to make it just believable enough that people would think we had somehow lost our minds and crossed the line. It was a great opportunity to parody ourselves, while also celebrating April Fool’s on our site like we do every year. If you’re not familiar with the Best Game Ever and the Best Gig Ever, give those a read to understand the context of the parody.

We met in a park a short walk from Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery to shoot the “Agent Todd explains the mission” part of the video. I tried to play it real while also saying ridiculous things like, “If you can cry on cue, cry on cue.” You can see the “family” and the “priest” hanging out in the distance, out of the shot. We were also careful to keep the chairs out of the shot, since we would use them later for the funeral.

Coffin covered by a blue sheet

Agent Reeves had access to a Hummer, so it served as our Trojan Horse for the coffin and all of our chairs. I was very nervous about smuggling the coffin in without getting noticed. Surely you’re not allowed to bring a prop coffin into a cemetery. We luckily breezed right by the security guard at the entrance, telling him we were just there to tour around. Greenwood Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark, so people come to tour it all the time. It’s the highest point in all of Brooklyn and actually has great views of the city skyline.

Agents Lee and Todd carry the coffin

We had two “lookout agents” on duty while Agent Lee and I carried the coffin out of the car and across the cemetery to the spot we had picked out. Guards at the cemetery regularly patrol the grounds in SUVs, so we were very paranoid that one would drive by and catch us walking around with this ridiculous coffin.

Agents Nicholson and Walker adjust the coffin

I actually rented a really nice, realistic coffin from a costume store, but it turned out to be too large even for the Hummer. I guess that’s why hearses exist. Anyway, we had to settle for the wooden Dracula coffin, hoping that if we kept it out of full view it would still be believable.

Agent Adams films

Agent Adams and I spent some time in the cemetery the day before looking for the perfect spot for our funeral (and observing where and when the security vehicles patrolled.) We found this awesome spot right next to an enormous bush. The bush would help us out in two ways: it partly hid us from the patrol guards, and we could act like we used it to hide our cameras in the video. It was also a nice open space that did not have any graves underneath it. Obviously we didn’t want to make a comedy video on top of someone’s grave.

Shooting through the bushes

It was important that the people we cast to play the family members were not regular Improv Everywhere agents. We didn’t want people to spot someone from another video of ours. Agent Moore was able to get a small group of actors from her theatre company, No Tea Productions, to play the parts. Agent Adams’ parents were in town, so we enlisted them as well.

Agent Adams’ parents: Agent Beethead and Agent Ruby Tuesday

The “Family”

Agent Walker owned a priest costume, so we cast him as the priest, hoping no one would remember that he also played the part of Steve in The Mp3 Experiment III. We kept his face out of the video as much as we could. Agent Walker also made the music for the video. I gave him the direction of “upbeat funeral music,” and he delivered just that. It was also a chance for him to parody the music he’s made for other IE videos.

Actors laughing between takes

We worked under the assumption that at any moment we were going to get caught and asked to leave. Being a National Historic Landmark, the cemetery is public property, but they have lots of rules and regulations and surely filming a fake funeral is not allowed. We got all of the shots we needed as quickly as possible. Once we had all of the important stuff in the can, we decided to stage some more over-the-top moments, on the off chance they worked. This led to some pretty ridiculous bits that definitely couldn’t be used in the main video if it was going to be believable.

Agent Mather as the “grandson” spots the camera

Agent Lathan pays his respects…

…and then offers the family members a high five

Agent MikeTheMan won’t leave him hanging

We got some footage of Agent Reeves playing the part of “The mistress not allowed to sit with the family.”

Agent Lindquist steps forward to sing “Amazing Grace”

Actors cracking up

Rather than bringing his own flowers, Agent Ace$Thugg stepped forward and grabbed the wreath from the stand and placed it on the coffin.

He then tripped over the coffin when Agent Mather tried to confront him.

Finally we staged a moment where Agent Mather got so fed up with Agent Simmons patting him on the back, he got up to punch him in the face.

Once we got all the shots we needed (and more than a few we didn’t need), we quickly packed up and put the coffin and chairs back in the Hummer. A security vehicle actually drove by while Agent Eng and I were carrying the coffin back, but fortunately the guard couldn’t quite see us through the trees.

We had no idea how the mission would go over on April 1st. We figured it had a chance of fooling lots of people early in the morning, but once everyone knew what day it was the joke would be obvious. What we didn’t anticipate is that some people would know it was April Fool’s but think that the video was an April Fool’s joke on a grieving family rather than a joke on THEM. I couldn’t believe how many people thought that. It implies we crashed a funeral, shot and edited a HD video, and posted it to YouTube all in the same morning. Improbable! Also, why would a prank website just post another prank on April Fool’s? April Fool’s is the day everything is backwards.

It was fascinating to see the different ways people reacted to it. Many were outraged, some got it and played along, others didn’t get it but still thought it was a good idea (it’s not!), and more than a few claimed they would never visit our site again. There are nearly 500 comments on the original post. They’re pretty hilarious to read so check them out if you haven’t. Even crazier are the comments on YouTube where most people STILL don’t get that it was a fake funeral even though I’ve edited the title, description, and annotations to plainly state what happened.

But the hands-down funniest thing about all of this is that the evening news on CW 11 covered this mission as if it actually happened. They think the prank is on the family (our actors) when actually the prank is on them:

So basically the extent of their reporting is watching a video on YouTube and then describing it as fact on air. They didn’t bother to email Improv Everywhere for comment, call the cemetery to verify, or try to get a quote from the “family.” They just watched the video and threw it on TV. Great journalism!

Update: The CW filed a copyright claim against us for posting their video of our video.

Mission Accomplished

-Agent Nicholson’s Flickr Set
-Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set

If this is your first time here:
-our other 80+ missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
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-everyone else can get involved in their town at The Urban Prankster Network
-We have a book and DVD for sale!

Note: This is a fake mission we staged for April Fool’s Day 2009. We posted it on April 1, fooling thousands of people into thinking we had lost our judgment and done something horrible. Everyone in the video is an actor. There was no funeral and no family. Be sure to check out the comments from the people who were fooled below.

(YouTube video link)
edited by Matt Adams / music by Tyler Walker

For our latest mission, 30 Improv Everywhere agents found a random funeral in the obituary section of the newspaper and turned it into the best funeral ever. We picked a man who had very few surviving relatives and then showed up to his funeral to make it truly awesome. Enjoy the video first, and then continue reading for photos and our report.

Digital Video: Agents Adams, EMartin, Goldman, Gross
Digital Photography: Agents Fountain, Nicholson, Sokoler

I knew this would be a very sensitive subject, but I thought that if Improv Everywhere could spread a little joy to the saddest place of all, it would be an amazing feat. The first step was picking the right funeral. It was critical that the funeral would be very sparsely attended. My biggest fear was showing up to do this and finding tons of friends and family already there. I started scanning through the obituaries to find short entries that mentioned very few surviving relatives. I also wanted to pick a graveside service because it would be easier to film and photograph it from a distance. It would be too risky to try to sneak cameras into a funeral home or church.

Organizing with the agents

The funeral we picked was in Greenwood Cemetery, an enormous plot of land in Brooklyn. (I’m not going to list the name of the deceased to prevent the family from finding this via a Google search, but it was an 87 year old male.) We met in a park a few blocks from the cemetery gate, and I briefed all of the agents, who had arrived dressed for a funeral. I instructed everyone to be as realistic as possible and not to be too over the top. I was very worried that the family would think we were making fun of them, which was the last thing we were trying to do. I told everyone to just act like you would if it had been your grandfather who passed away and behave accordingly.

Agents walking through the cemetery

We headed over to the cemetery right when the funeral was supposed to begin. We figured it was best to arrive just a few minutes late. The family wouldn’t talk to us if the service was already underway. They would just be silently comforted that lots more people showed up to honor their loved one.

The family before we arrive, only eight people

Our photographers ran ahead to snap some covert photos of the service before we arrived and to try to get the natural reactions of the family when the IE agents showed up. They tried to be discreet, hiding behind tombstones, trees, and bushes with zoom lenses. Sure enough, there were only eight people and a priest attending the funeral.

A pretty small funeral in need of some help

Luckily there was a huge bush right behind the priest. Agent Nicholson was able to crawl into the bush and take photos head on without anyone seeing him.

Shot through the bushes

Our agents start arriving behind them!

IE Agents approaching

Almost there

Family looking around in wonder

Packed funeral!

Family members started whispering, “Who are these people?”

Agent Adams films covertly from the side of the bush

The family, especially the older couple in the middle, were seriously mourning. They seemed to be focusing on the priest and mostly ignoring us. Still, we had to be as serious as we possibly could. If anyone cracked a smile or giggled we would completely ruin the funeral for the family.

One family member, who looked like he might have been a grandson of the deceased, got up and asked Agent Simmons what was going on and where we came from. He definitely seemed confused, and maybe slightly irritated at first. Agent Simmons just told him we were old friends of the deceased here to pay our respects.

Agents Perveen and Ace$Thugg keeping a great straight face

Agent Lindquist offers a family member a tissue

Agent Yo-Yo lays some flowers on the casket

Agents Wimpy and Cunningham walk to the front with flowers

Towards the end of the service, the priest discovered that Agent Nicholson was hiding in the bushes with a camera. I guess cameras are not usually allowed at funerals, because he was not happy. He kept his calm because of the circumstances, but he made it very clear that Agent Nicholson needed to leave immediately.

We found other ways to keep documenting the mission. Agent Spear snapped a few covert shots with his cell phone.

As soon as the service was over, our agents disappeared as quickly as they had arrived. We never broke character and never let the family know that we didn’t actually know the deceased.

Agents quietly leaving

The family members were left clueless as to who we were. They gawked as we walked away. Deep down though, you know they were profoundly moved to learn that their relative had so many friends. One of the family members chased down some of our camera men and tried to get an answer. Agent Adams stuck to his story and told him that he was just a tourist visiting the cemetery (it’s a National Historic Landmark after all!), and that he didn’t know any of the other agents.

It was definitely creepy being in the cemetery, and it did feel weird staging something at a funeral, but ultimately I think everyone had a great time. Obviously the family was sad that someone they loved had passed away, but think how much sadder they would have been if only eight people had been there.

Mission Accomplished

-Agent Nicholson’s Flickr Set
-Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set

Update:

Read the comments to see people who were fooled. The local CW news was fooled as well. They later filed a copyright claim against us for posting their video of our video to YouTube.

Check out the hilarious outtakes from the mission.

If this is your first time here:
-our other 80+ missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
-New Yorkers join our NY Agents list
-everyone else can get involved in their town at The Urban Prankster Network
-We have a book and DVD for sale!

For our latest mission, 50 Improv Everywhere agents created an art gallery opening on the 23rd Street subway platform in Manhattan. We put up 30 placards next to objects in the space (pipes, electrical boxes, signs, advertisements), transforming them into works of art. The gallery included a bar, a coat rack, and a cellist. Enjoy the video first, and then continue reading for photos, text from our placards, and reports from the agents involved.

(YouTube link)
edited by Matt Adams / music by Erin Hall

Mission Idea By: Agents Eppink and Small
Digital Video: Agents Adams, EMartin, Goldman, Gross
Digital Photography: Agents Nicholson, Sokoler

Agents Eppink and Small approached me with the idea of holding a gallery opening on a subway platform, and I was immediately excited to make it happen. There has been tons of really cool unauthorized art happening in the subway system lately, including PosterBoy’s fantastic advertisement modifications. The MTA actually has some great authorized art installations in certain stations as well (the American Museum of Natural History station comes to mind.) Despite these wonderful authorized and unauthorized works, the majority of the stations are pretty boring and display nothing but ads. Well, at least at first glance. We were able to turn the components of the 23rd Street C/E station into works of art simply by adding placards containing art-speak descriptions.

Agent Eppink created a sign for our gallery that looked identical to the existing “service changes” signs. You had to look twice to notice it wasn’t an official MTA sign. We chose to hold the mission at the 23rd Street C/E station because it’s located in Chelsea, just a few blocks from the art gallery district. The mission took place on a Thursday evening, which is the night gallery openings happen in the real galleries nearby. Ideally, some people getting on and off the train at the station would be coming to or from a real gallery opening.

The 23rd Street station has no authorized art, but its advertisements are frequently improved upon by anonymous artists. The station also has tons of quirky things about it, including locked up men’s and women’s restrooms that haven’t been in use for years. It was the perfect spot for our gallery.

Agent Harms runs the coat rack

We tried to include all of the normal elements you might encounter at a posh art gallery opening. Agent Harms and Agent Good dressed in tuxedos and managed the coat rack and bar, respectively. We even had a ticket system for the coat rack, ensuring our patrons would get their garments back correctly.

Agent Good works the bar

We borrowed the bar from the UCB Theatre and brought some silver trays, cups, and a few bottles of (non-alcoholic) sparkling cider. Several people assumed we were serving champagne, and a few high school age kids ran up to get a glass. We never told them it was cider.

We had around 50 agents participate. They trickled in to the gallery in small groups, acting like the didn’t know each other. Everyone was instructed to dress nice, like you would at an actual opening.

Agents Williams, Ace$Thugg, and Perveen

We found an awesome Cello player, Erin Hall, who was willing to come out and provide lovely background music for the gallery.

Agents Small, Eppink and I quickly placed our placards underneath the “works of art.” There were 27 in total. Agent Small wrote up hilarious deadpan descriptions for each piece. Here are some of our favorites.

Brick Window (2003)
Metropolitan Transit Authority in collaboration with Unknown Artists

Glass Bricks with Ink marker

This piece inverts the typical window by making it from opaque bricks, set within a larger opaque wall. This opens the dialogue between the lower spaces of the MTA subway and the upper world where sunlight would necessitate such windows. The null opacity of the glass is called to attention by the use of ink markers.

Locked Box #2 (1988)
Metropolitan Transit Authority

This extremely subtle piece reexamines the assumption that art must be visually accessible to be important and identifiable as a creative work. This artist explores the limitless possibilities of the hidden here, allowing the viewer to reevaluate underlying preconceptions, and to recondition the inner mind to work with the perception of the commonplace outer space.

Telephone Line (2002)
Metropolitan Transit Authority in collaboration with Telecom

This homage to the urgency of communication is meant to highlight the recent necessity, from instant to instant, to maintain the potential for instantaneous, world-wide contact from any location, at any time. That a conversation from such a location would be abruptly interrupted by an arriving train suggests the artist’s intent to lampoon the perceived dependence on telecommunication.

Drain (1975)
MTA and unknown artists

Mixed Media on Metal and Concrete

Describing the irresistibility of natural urges, and situated thematically near the restroom, this drainage grate offers deliverance. Consequently, here lies an indeliable yellow nitrogen stain, as evidence of the passings of hundreds, if not thousands of strained commuters. Each straphanger, surreptitiously seeking relief, has helped create this totally organic, revolutionary art piece.

Textured Glass (1998)
Metropolitan Transit Authority

These simple glass blocks, with their textures turned at angles to one another, serve as a reminder that even in similarity, otherwise overlooked backgrounds have vast differences, and that considered as a whole, those differences create a subtle beauty. The tension between the glass blocks and tiles serves to force the blocks into a separate plane from the surface.

Black Metal Slam Gate with Panic Bar #367 (2004)
Gricelda Cespedes, Assistant Chief Stations Officer responsible for Maintenance; Overseer of the panic bar installation at stations system-wide.

The panic bar initiative, including these fashion-friendly safety bars, was launched with the goal of providing a way for customers to safely evacuate a station in an emergency, according to Ken Brown from New York City Transit’s Office of System Safety. More than 450 panic bar kits have been installed. A total of 1,500 will be in place by the end of the year, in all fare control areas where you can enter or leave a station, where feasible, in the system’s 468 stations.

Convergence (1962)
MTA

Electrical Conduit and Fittings, Tile Wall

This work is at once a heroic call to solidarity and a hopeful ode to the future. The diverse collection of pipes, flocking together chaotically from all across the platform, can only burst through the wall once they’ve banded together. Instead of a bright knowable future, however, the pipes – brimming full of power – disappear into the ambiguous dark abyss on the other side of the wall. The viewer is left in anticipation, hoping the newly-assembled coalition can successfully harness the energy within itself on the other side.

Top Chef, Bottom Mystery (2008)
MTA in Collaboration with Bravo Network

The interleaving of advertisements present in the partial removal of outer ads has been a recent trend in modification from platform users. This reveals the mystery of previous advertisements hidden just under the current. The artist implies that the viewer should consider the past placements in this location, stretching back to the inception of the MTA’s selling of ad space in their subways, and the layering of meaning which can occur in such a small space.

You can see all of the artworks and read their corresponding descriptions by clicking through Agent Nicholson’s Flickr Set.

The gallery was soon full. Our agents sipped cider and casually walked around enjoying the art, much to the confusion of those who were just waiting for the train to arrive.

Agents viewing the art

A woman looks confusedly at our bar

The view from across the platform. Note the woman from the above photo is now reading about one of the artworks.

Two men read our poster

Unsure what to make of the bar and coat rack

Agent Eppink:

I was especially interested in how we convinced ourselves and those around us to play the game and to believe, for a couple hours, that these everyday objects were actually art. Agent Small did a fantastic job of setting the tone with the wall text, but everyone who attended the opening was complicit and added tremendously to the collective fiction. Together we were inventing new meanings and alternate histories, all of which could have been entirely plausible explanations for the objects we were examining.

This may seem like a silly exercise, but I think it can be pretty useful! It puts you in a position to re-examine the mundane, imagine others’ intentions, and create new contexts for the objects and ideas you encounter every day. Usually we would just call that “acting”, but in this case, so much of the pretending is internal that maybe it’s not exactly theater? I’m sure there’s an argument for both sides. Regardless, I found the gallery opening to be an exhilarating, tremendously creative experience, and the hundreds of people who passed through, even if they didn’t join, at least encountered a fun, unexpected, disorienting moment.

Read Agent Eppink’s longer write up here on his site.

Agent Small and the Europeans

Agent Small:

The three Europeans who stumbled on to the gallery seemed really tickled. They took a picture with our cellist, and asked me which art I recommended. The man was just bubbling with excitement as he went to look at “Caged Women”.

In the course of making the art labels, the mundane stuff of the platform really did become weirdly compelling and beautiful. I wasn’t sure if everyone else would have that experience, or if we would be busy consciously pretending that these random objects were art. In the course of the event, some other friends who came made brilliant observations about the pieces that helped bring my mindset firmly back into of-course-this-is-art, rather than viewing the subway as a collection of quick fixes over time. It’s wonderful how we can decide to create a collective reality, and how it can sometimes catch us up within itself. I’m glad other folks also got caught up in “Wow.. This might really be art!”, and that some non-agents got such a kick out of it!

Agent Montague:

I’m someone who likes to go to galleries and museums. Before too long, I had convinced myself I was at an art show, and I was allowing myself to be affected by the artwork. Service Changes is a reminder that art can be anything. Art is a state of mind, and if you perceive something as art, then it is. I think it would be hilarious if we got this mission into the hands of a serious art journalist or critic. They might take it very seriously and write a piece on it.

The unsuspecting audience reacted in several different ways. Some of them were confused. Some of them got the joke and laughed. I particularly enjoyed the older European party of 3 who stayed for awhile and took about a dozen pictures. They seemed happy they had stumbled upon some weird wacky New York thing. My favorites were the ones who showed up, got a drink, signed the guest book, looked around, and never cracked a smile. Quite a few people understood what was happening, but didn’t get the joke.

Agent Green:

The real highlights of the evening were the interactions with bystanders.

The first notable conversation I had was a discussion about someone’s purchase of one of the works. The piece was a cabinet embedded into the wall. This guy was staring at the plaque, trying to decide if this was all a joke, when I approached him and told him that someone had just bought it. The conversation went roughly like this:

Me: You know, someone just bought this work.
Dude: They bought this?
Me: Yeah, probably for a good sum.
Dude: They bought what?
Me: [gesturing to the wall] Lock Box #2
Dude: They bought this?

And so on.

Agent Currie:

I was admiring the trashcan art piece when I finished my complimentary cider and needed to through away my cup. I asked a man standing by if he thought it would be OK if I used the trashcan for my trash. After a long confused look, I explained to him that it was an art piece part of the current MTA exhibit. He still seemed rather confused, but I got him into a small discussion about art versus function. I told him it brought me to a deeper understanding of the piece and its unique quality of being functional art. While I don’t think the man completely understood, we decided it was OK for me to through away my cup.

I witnessed many spectators enjoying the art and postcard explanations with a laugh. Anything that can bring a smile to those traveling underground after a long day of work is an achievement.

Agent Mirka:

One time a train came through and it was long enough for the last car to be near the “gallery” (not all of them were). I watched the people in the car as they tried to figure out what was going on, and the looks of interest and amusement on their faces were fantastic. It didn’t occur to me what effect this might have on people that were not even in the station.

I also thought it was funny when the MTA staff person was trying to get into the women’s bathroom, the door of which we had blocked with our coat rack.

(We apologized and moved the coat rack for her.)

Agent Lathan:

My favorite part was when an older gentleman was walking by one of the art pieces and exclaimed, “That’s a locked box! How is anybody gonna take that home with him! It’s a locked box. That’s not art!” Then he walked off laughing hysterically.

Agent Gregor:

I was standing at the lock box by the underpass stairs when a guy came over and started looking at one of the art descriptions of the Paul Rudd poster. Strangely, when I looked over I realized he was a guy I’d known when I was 14 and hadn’t really seen since. We shared a strange “Oh, my god, what are you doing here moment,” and then he told me that he had literally just come from an art class where he’d gotten into an argument with a classmate over the question, “What is art?”

He walked into the station with that in mind, and so when he saw the exhibit it just made his week because it was exactly what the argument was about. He got almost immediately that it was supposed to be “clever” and wasn’t necessarily real, but liked it even more for that. We walked around looking at all the pieces, he cracked up at every one.

Agent Goldman:

I would have killed to be inside the station-guard-booth when the station manager called. He kept looking over at the “exhibit” so puzzled. He was throwing his hands and I could see him saying “I don’t know! I don’t know!”

Agent Williams:

I spent two winters as a coat check at a restaurant, which is why I am particularly ashamed to have forgotten to tip Agent Harms, who was the most authentic coat check anyone could have asked for.

Agent Harms:

I was the coat check guy wearing the tuxedo. I didn’t get to read any of the placards until after the event but I was able to see a lot of great reactions and got in plenty of crowd interaction.

All of the Agents were dressed so nicely for the opening – I’m glad they got to take their coats off and look spiffy for the rest of the crowd. I asked plenty of subway-goers if they wanted to check their coat and they all politely declined. One husband and wife that got off of a subway car told me they didn’t really have time to check their coats as their chauffeur was waiting outside. Most of the other people would then ask me a few questions about the opening: who the artist was, how late the event would be open that evening, who set up the opening in the station, where the art was, etc. I told them that I was just hired for this particular event, gave them the few details a coat check guy like me would know and directed them to the program/flyer. The older vacationing European trio were a big hoot taking pictures of themselves next to everything and trying to figure it all out.

Plus Agent Good (the bartender) and I made $24 in tips! An appreciative crowd indeed.

Agent Ace$Thugg:

At one moment a girl was standing right in front of the pay phone close to the gate trying to get phone reception on her cell phone. She moved right in front of my site line of the “pay phone piece.” I just kept staring at the pay phone until she realized she was blocking something, turned around and noticed the art display, and give a “whoa, what’s happening?” look. And then stepped back and noticed all the other art pieces and gallery patrons. She seemed to really enjoy it and until her train came was really self-conscious that she was in the way of some other piece of art.

Agent Lindquist:

I think my favorite piece of the evening was the performance art titled “Woman sitting on bench, ongoing.” It was great to watch the people not involved in the mission sitting on the bench watching us watch them. Where did life end, and art begin? Where did art end, and life begin? The people sitting were totally confused. Finally, one woman looked up at the placard behind the bench, chuckled a bit and got up. The look on her face when she discovered that she was a performance artist was amazing!

Agent Curtis:

I think the most interesting result of participating is that it was enlightening to get into the mindset that the pieces were art. Approaching the subway platform that way allows you to appreciate the details that make any public space great. Be it the modified subway advertisements, the clock, or the metal gates that seem to go nowhere (but actually lead to women’s bathrooms).

The reaction of those not expecting to find a gallery showing is one thing, but the enjoyment of the participants was the highlight for me.

Agent Linder:

I noticed an older couple depart an arriving train wearing formal attire, the woman might have even been wearing a fur coat. They laughed as they noticed what was happening, and then they went on their way, perhaps to a “real” gallery, not out of the realm of possibility.

Agent Lee:

What I loved most about this mission is that it brought something fun and enjoyable to a place where you don’t normally see many smiles. After thoroughly reading all the art descriptions, I started observing what made the people departing the trains stop and view the art. I found that when someone was reading one of the labels near the exit (the pay phone or the exit door ones specifically) the exiting riders would often stop and read it as well, mostly because they thought it was something from the MTA. After reading, they either figured it out and had a laugh, or just continued on confused.

The opening lasted about an hour. As we were winding down and folks were starting to leave, a police officer showed up. I’m not sure if the MTA booth agent called him or if he just happened to walk by. He couldn’t really figure out who was in charge, so he stared asking questions of Agent Hall, the cellist.

I piped up to let him know that it was almost over anyway, and that people were already packing up. We had a little conversation about it:

Cop: You shouldn’t be doing this.
Me: Oh, really? We looked up all the MTA regulations and made sure that we didn’t violate any of them.
Cop: Well, first of all, you can’t be taking photos. That has to stop.
Me: Actually it’s legal to take photos on subway platforms. The MTA discussed banning it a couple of years ago, but it didn’t happen.
Cop: Yes, but you can’t have all these people here. It’s too crowded.
Me: Like I said we’ll be gone in a matter of minutes.
Cop: Thanks.

He was nice about it. I thought it was funny that he kept changing what it was that we were doing wrong. Other than putting up the signs (which could be easily taken down, leaving no mark), we didn’t break any MTA rules. It’s OK to dress up, drink a non-alcoholic beverage, and walk around a platform.

We packed up and disappeared. We decided to leave all of the placards up on the walls, continuing the mission for everyone who passed through the station that night. We figured they would be taken down by the next morning. I returned the next day and was surprised to see that 12 of them were still up. A month later 6 remained. Three months later there was still one up in a hidden corner. It’s fun to think of all the people waiting for trains who could have accidentally stumbled onto one of our placards over the past few months.

This afternoon (March 17, 2009) we put up fresh versions of all of the placards. Stop by and look for them if you’re in New York. Remember to dress up.

Mission Accomplished

-Agent Eppink’s write up (includes a digital version of the flyer we handed out to gallery guests)

-Agent Nicholson’s Flickr Set (contains photos of all of the artworks along with their descriptions posted in the comments)
-Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set

If this is your first time here:
-our other 80+ missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
-New Yorkers join our NY Agents list
-everyone else can get involved in their town at The Urban Prankster Network
-We have a DVD for sale!

(YouTube link)
edited by Matt Adams / song by Tyler Walker

For our latest mission, Agent Lathan gave out 2,000 high fives by standing next to a subway escalator during the morning rush. Five additional agents spread out along the adjacent stairs, holding signs that prepared commuters for the upcoming high five fun. Enjoy the video first and then check out the mission report and photos below.

Starring: Agent Lathan, as “Rob”
Featuring: Agents Eppink, Lindquist, Small, Thomas, Wimpy
Digital Video: Agents Adams, Whines
Digital Photography: Agents Sokoler, Todd

The subway station at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue can be a nightmare in the morning. Thousands of commuters make a daily transfer from the E or V train to the 6 train. The first part of the transfer involves taking one of two giant escalators, which both run up in the morning to accommodate the huge crowd.

Packed escalators at 8:30 AM

To the left of the escalators is a staircase. Hardly anyone goes up it, and it’s against the rules to go down it during rush hour (you use another escalator further down to get to the platform).

Everyone is generally in a pretty crappy mood when they’re making this transfer with a herd of other people at the crack of dawn. It was definitely a location in need of a bit of fun.

Our agents take to the stairs

Agent Eppink made four signs that together said, “Rob wants to give you a high five! Get Ready!” There was a fifth sign that just read “Rob” and had an arrow pointing downward. Our agents grabbed their assigned signs and spread out along the stairs a little after 8:30 AM. The staircase had platforms every 10 steps or so, which made it easy for the agents to divide up evenly.

The view looking down

I made two animated gifs to show what the signs looked like from the perspective of someone on the escalator. The first looks straight ahead, and the second looks to the side, following one woman’s ride up.

Our agents stood as close to the escalator as they could in order to leave plenty of room for the few folks who chose to take the stairs.

We picked Agent Lathan to be the high five man for a few reasons. First, he’s really tall. The stairs are a little lower than the escalator, so we needed someone tall enough to reach the riders. Second, Rob’s a comedian and one his of characters is a parody of a life coach whose mantra is “get psyched!” In other words, Rob has lots of experience being positive and pumping people up. I knew if anyone could keep his energy up during 2,000 high fives, it was Rob. I have to admit, I was somewhat concerned that he would get separated from the rest of us.

Rob high fives as Agent Eppink holds the sign behind him

It was awesome watching the reactions of people before, during, and after the high fives. I’d say around 75% of the riders gave Rob a high five. There were some people who were both listening to music and reading a book who didn’t look up to notice what was going on. A small percentage seemed suspicious of us and elected to keep their hands to themselves. Most people smiled and high fived. Some people kept a straight face during the high five, but then privately smiled to themselves a few moments later. Watching people after they gave a high five was almost more fun. Almost everyone was left with a smile. Agent Sokoler took hundreds of reaction shots, peering from behind columns at the top of the escalator. Here are some of our favorites.

People on the further escalator watch the high fives

Lots of people wanted to know if Rob had washed his hands. “You bet I have!”

Rob executed a few “double high fives” when people passed up the steps

“Show me some skin!”

Smiling post high five

“Give me some love!”

Post high five glow

Looking up towards Rob

Making the decision to high five or not

A wise choice!

Playing it cool

Smiling afterwards

These girls were upset that they were on the wrong escalator for the high fives. Rob gave them some “air fives” to their delight.

Leaving the escalator with a smile

We lasted for about 45 minutes in total, staying through the bulk of the morning rush. My guess is that people passed Rob at a rate of one per second. So that would be 2,700 people over 45 minutes who passed by and probably around 75% of them played along. I wonder if 2,000 consecutive high fives from strangers is a world record?

After the crowds thinned out, we quietly disappeared. We got some funny looks from MTA employees throughout the mission, but no one ever said anything to us.

AGENT REPORTS

Agent Lathan

It was tons of fun to do. Most people were into it. I was kind of worried that people would not be into it or angry, but just about everyone was down. Some people were stone faced, but still gave me a high five. It was 8:30 in the morning so people were tired and not in a good mood, but once people connected with my hand, they almost all laughed and smiled. Everyone should start their day with high fives. My hand was a little sore, but it made it through. I think 2,000 high fives is probably the maximum a hand can take.

Agent Lindquist

I was the “Rob wants” sign, the very first sign in the chain. At first I couldn’t tell if it was going well. I wasn’t getting any reactions at all in the beginning, but then I started to hear people interacting with Rob, and I realized it was working. Since I was first I got a lot of people looking confused. They would just see my one sign saying “Rob wants” and wouldn’t get it. Lots of people thought I was Rob and would say, “What do you want?” Then they’d look past me and see the other signs and realize something bigger was going on.

Agent Small

I was the second person people saw. By the time they got to me they were asking who Rob was and how far away he was. My sign read “to give you,” so it introduced the expectation that people were going to get something. Lots of people asked if he was going to give them money. That was a big thing. “Is Rob going to give me $5?” As soon as people made eye contact with me I would smile, and then they would smile, and that made me smile bigger for the next person. It was a fun chain of smiling.

Agent Wimpy

By the time they got to me they were asking, “Where’s Rob? What’s Rob going to give us?” Then they’d see my sign and realize it was a “high five.” They were really into it but were getting impatient because the escalator was going so slow and they wanted to see Rob. One woman asked me, “Why is Rob giving high fives out, is it his birthday?” I told her, “No, he’s just trying to do a nice thing for you.” A lot of people on the further escalator were laughing more than the ones on our escalator. I think they liked that they were going to get to be in on the gag without having to commit themselves.

Agent Thomas

I was the “get ready” sign which was right before people got to Rob. I saw a lot of people look around me and see Rob for the first time. Seeing that process of people deciding to give him a high five was great. Usually they were smiling by the time they got to me. I would see in their eyes the moment they decided they were going to do it, which would make them smile even more. People started talking to each other, “Are you going to give Rob a high five? I am. Let’s give him a high five. We should move over to this side.”

I also got to hear the litany of things Rob was saying behind me, “Way up high! Down low! Give me some skin!” That caused me to laugh most of the mission, and at one point someone on the escalator told me I had a great smile and asked for my phone number! I did not give it to him because I was focused on the mission.

Agent Eppink

My job was to hold the “Rob” sign above his head to indicate who Rob was. I got to witness all the high five magic. Two people were so into the high fiving they tried to give me a high five as well. I told them that I wasn’t Rob, but I couldn’t let them down. Mostly the focus was all on Rob. I was his sidekick. He’d say “Up high,” and I’d say, “yeah, up high!” One guy was so into it that he gave Rob like 10 high fives right in a row. It seemed like people wanted to be given a light moment like this in the morning; they wanted to connect with someone else.

One funny thing was that there were lots of people who were really ready to go, but because of the speed of the escalator they couldn’t get there any faster. They would just have to wait a few extra seconds with their hand up. It was a really great awkward pause.

Agent Whines

My favorites were the people who wouldn’t crack a smile the whole time, but still gave a high five. Other people were into it early and smiled the whole ride up. I guess it’s a pretty corporate neighborhood, so to see all of the people dressed up in suits cracking a smile was pretty great.

Mission Accomplished

-Many more photos in higher resolution:
Agent Sokoler’s Flickr Set

-Check out the Rob! mission from Yankee Stadium

If this is your first time here:
-our other 80+ missions can be seen here: Missions
-sign up for our RSS feed and Newsletter
-New Yorkers join our NY Agents list
-everyone else can get involved in their town at The Urban Prankster Network
-We have a DVD for sale!