A Worldwide Band for The Spring Equinox
As a child, I would go with my grandfather to the zoo in Central Park, where at noon, we, along with New Yorkers and visitors would wait for the mechanical bear to come out of its door and smack the bell atop the Delacorte Clock. For those minutes it seemed the city stood still as the bear twirled, a goat emerged, followed by a rabbit and a hippo, each with an instrument. Now we are on our screens, our time clocked in individual increments and attention to tasks with intervals of Animal Crossing. A Band to Welcome Spring is inspired by municipal clocks and bell towers that for centuries have been civic recognitions of the shared keeping and passage of time. In this full pandemic year interest in and the need for social connection and celebration (while respecting physical distance ) feels especially acute.
On March 20th, 2021 at 5:08 pm a worldwide band of musicians welcomed the Vernal Equinox by playing their instruments outside wherever they are. You can join us each day through April 19, 2021 at 5:08 pm by doing the same.
We built a small clock tower to set up on a hill in Ann Arbor and were joined by 3 willing musicians and, among others: a wedding band in India that includes a horse in their ensemble, a custom-built island on Animal Crossing with animal musicians, a tuning fork in Vancouver, a slide whistle in Tokyo, a stand up bass in Grand Rapids, a kazoo duo in Oregon, a dancing dog in DC, a string quartet in Central Park and a spinning disk in London.
