Unsilent Night/GALAXY report

I’ll do the promised “tips on being okay with wasting supplies” post on Wednesday, but today I have to share with you how Unsilent Night went.

Attendance was good, though not stellar after a two-year hiatus, about 30–40 people. A lot of children, which was great, after I convinced them that jumping over the rings of GALAXY (or stepping in the rings) was not acceptable and rather risky. For various reasons.

Fair warning: I don’t really have any good photos of the actual ramble. I was carrying a large Bluetooth speaker and a large lantern on a long bamboo pole, and they were unwieldy enough that it was difficult to manage a phone at the same time.

GALAXY Chief Engineer Turff and I arrived at 4:00 to set up GALAXY with our trusty minions. It takes about two hours to do this, and that does not include using the wire stands that will be necessary at Alchemy to keep the piece out of the waters of a possible Lake Ruby.

I provided pizza for the crew, and then it was time for Unsilent Night participants to begin arriving. I was struck by the number of people who came simply to walk along with us, without a sound system. I provided a few Bluetooth speakers that people could use, and they were all appropriated. (Several people just brought up the tracks on their cellphones.)

At 7:30, I gave the signal, everyone pressed play, and as the music began we headed up to the Court Square.

As I said, not very good photos, not improved by whatever oil from the GALAXY ground staples had adhered to my fingers.

We were joined this year by Madame French, a giant fortune-teller puppet crafted by one of the artists at Backstreet Arts who is internet-shy so I won’t reveal her secret identity here. Madame French is one of several puppets being crafted for a play written for them.

Photo obviously not by me.

The ramble around the Court Square was fun — spectators were delighted and inquisitive. Since I play Phil Kline’s CD version of Unsilent Night at the lantern workshops, which is all four independent tracks played together, I always forget what an auditory delight the actual performance is, with your sound system playing one thing and the people you pass playing something entirely different yet part of the whole.

The kids had a great time.

Yes, I live in a quaint small Southern town, why do you ask?

Finally the Court House clock struck 8:00, the signal for everyone to meander back down to Greenville St Park, where we gathered and waited for the last of the music to die out. Cheers, and everyone wended their way home.

Throughout, GALAXY was serene and amazing.

I have to say that such a simple shape, an Archimedean spiral with barely two circuits to the center, is still a powerful experience as you walk it: the rings of light make it just otherworldly enough to allow your brain to create a new temporary reality for itself. (Man, is it going to be a hit at Alchemy…)

After the Unsilent Night crowd dispersed, we took a deep breath and dismantled GALAXY until next time (TBD). It was a good night.

Next year, we have a goal of 100 people with sound systems — you can keep up with us by joining the Unsilent Night Newnan Facebook group. Mark your calendars for Sat, Dec 3!

I’d like to express my appreciation for the support of Backstreet Arts in sponsoring the lantern decorating workshops, and to the Newnan Cultural Arts Commission for their sponsorship of the park fee and publicity.