Images from the H U G Performance

Enjoy these images from the H U G Performance taken by one of the photographers who followed us the entire trip. We traveled from Union Square uptown on the east side to the Museum of Natural History across the park and downtown to the African Burial Ground Memorial (which is under construction) and the World Trade Center site. What I interpreted as the purpose of this project was to present a silent peace protest in the form of a site-specific performance art piece. I think the original vision include 20 or so couples embracing for 3 minutes at several locations around the city that harbor intense negative energy. The locations were all in Manhattan and were voluntarily submitted by random New Yorkers to the H U G Performance email address, along with a short description of the traumatic event they experienced there (as in a mugging or a death or a breakup, etc.) or a historic event that happened there. Our intension was to attempt to eliminate the negative energy in these public space and in turn helping the submitters grieve. I approached the project as if it were an exercise in meditation -- spreading my light for peace.

I must admit that I had a lot of trouble getting into the moment of the entire process. At the time of the final rehearsal, there were only 6 couples, which I think considerably lessened the intended effect and energy of the piece. When we left the Conflux Festival headquarters at noon, we were all amped to get to our first location and get through the 10 following sites the project would bring us to. We practiced with our partners (mine was Pedro... lucky me!), read the stories and memorized our positions. The first at Union Square was easy, and the next few continued to be easy, but by the time we got to the Museum and crossed the park, the physical exhaustion set in. We hit 7 locations in about 3 hours on foot and subway, approximately 70 blocks! And the action of the three-minute hug is taxing on the body as well. A couple has to negotiate weight change, balance, comfortable placement of limbs and skulls, etc.; individually, find a position that is comfortable is hard to pin point in just one step to your partner and because Julie (the director) wanted us to appear rooted and still for 3 whole minutes, voluntary weight shifting was out of the question.

Now, during the east side trip uptown, we inspired a lot of curiosity. It was when we arrived at the scene of a mugging at Port Authority on 41st Street that the heckling broke me down. The area west of Times Square is the stomping grounds of toothless junkies, street dwellers and all sorts of riffraff -- not exactly an ideal site for performance art. Unsurprisingly, we were heckled for three whole minutes. I being the only black female in the group, I received the brunt of the nasty comments and I broke from my embrace feeling pretty shitty. Finding myself at the African Burial Ground Memorial site a half hour later, I couldn't digest the weight of the place. My mind wouldn't stop. And when we made our way to World Trade, the last site, one person short, over an hour behind schedule and in the middle of p.m. rush, my thoughts began to clear. It was two days after the 6th Anniversary and construction had begun. The boom of metal against earth, the bustle of evening rush, fatigue, the heat and scent of my partner -- all of this slowed my mind, brought me back to the moment and to my purpose. I was beaming with gratitude and peace.

I hope I was able to share it.

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