Events & Things To Do

Spotlight: Phil Kline Puts a Twist on Holiday Caroling With Unsilent Night
December 4, 2015

Spotlight: Phil Kline Puts a Twist on Holiday Caroling With Unsilent Night

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What started out as a simple idea for composer Phil Kline has became a beloved holiday tradition in New York. A fan of cassette tapes, Phil had been composing pieces for boomboxes when he wrote a holiday-themed piece set on four tracks to be played simultaneously on several boomboxes. In 1992, he gathered a group of New Yorkers for a modern take on caroling in which they walked down lower Fifth Avenue with boomboxes playing his piece. The performance was a resounding success and a yearly seasonal event known as Unsilent Night was set in motion. A little over two decades since that first performance, Unsilent Night has grown in magnitude and now draws a crowd of several hundred who still use a few boomboxes that are interspersed among a sea of smartphones. It has has been adopted by cities around the world, but even with this international recognition it finds its way back home each year. Phil is currently preparing for his 24th New York performance on Saturday, December 12th, so with the event a week away, 6sqft spoke to Phil to learn about his love of boomboxes, the idea behind Unsilent Night, and how one evening 23 years ago has become an annual holiday musical tradition.
6sqft's interview with Phil Kline right ahead
15 Hip Holiday Markets and Indie Pop-Up Shops in NYC
December 3, 2015

15 Hip Holiday Markets and Indie Pop-Up Shops in NYC

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December's first days bring dozens of holiday gift markets whose aim is to find new homes for a wealth of shiny goodies and crafty gifts. We're all familiar with the big NYC markets, but some of the best scores–and the most fun–can be found at smaller, cooler pop-ups and local markets throughout the city. Some are only around for a weekend, others for the whole month or longer. In addition to locally-made jewelry and crafts, vintage finds, artfully curated fashions, home items and other things we didn't know we needed, these hip retail outposts offer up DJs, drinks, food, tarot readings, nail art, music, and family fun to keep shoppers' spirits bright.
Find out where to get the goods, this way
Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 12/3-12/7

Luminaries via Arbuckle Industries

December 3, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 12/3-12/7

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In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! With half of the art world in Miami for Art Basel, this week is a good time to support the local artists and artisans who make this city great. Check out the cross stitch work of Phil Davison at FUCHS Projects. Become part of the art yourself at artist collective CHERYL's latest soiree, which welcomes all walks of life to immerse themselves in art while dancing the night away. Give your nose a treat at the interesting Museum of Feelings, a temporary museum sponsored by Glade that fuses scent with emotion. Experience a musical light show by 650 lanterns at Brookfield Place. Learn about self portraiture in photography at the Camera Club of New York. Test your limits of participation at the debut of Marina Abramovic's new project, in which the artist has created an installation and platform for listening to Igor Levit perform Goldberg. And finally, see a live performance of "A Christmas Carol" by WXQR that features actress Kathleen Turner.
All the best events to check out here
Brooklyn’s Sketchbook Project Has a Library of 34,000 Doodles You Can Browse
November 30, 2015

Brooklyn’s Sketchbook Project Has a Library of 34,000 Doodles You Can Browse

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It claims to be the world's largest collection of doodles, and it's located right in Williamsburg (h/t Atlas Obscura). The Sketchbook Project is a "crowd-sourced library that features 33,903 artists' books contributed by creative people from 135+ countries." Located at a storefront space in the Brooklyn Art Library, the project encourages artists (or anyone with an artistic inkling) to order one of their blank sketchbooks, fill it up with their drawings, and send it back to be added to the physical and/or digital library for creatives from all over the world to view.
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America’s Top Thanksgiving Searches Are More ‘Tattoo Shops’ Than ‘Turkeys’

Infographic via CityLab

November 25, 2015

America’s Top Thanksgiving Searches Are More ‘Tattoo Shops’ Than ‘Turkeys’

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The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line may get inundated with calls on Thanksgiving and the days leading up to the holiday, but when it comes to internet searches there are no turkeys in site. Google Maps analyzed Thanksgiving trends from the past three years to reveal some hilarious and unexpected topics. For example, the top national day-of search is "buffet restaurants," and in New York City specifically, Thanksgiving is apparently a day to find tattoo shops (matching ink for the whole family?). The folks over at CityLab compiled the data into two fun infographics that show the surprising priorities of Americans around the holiday.
More trends this way
Spotlight: Pernell Brice Shares How FeedingNYC Delivers 3,000 Thanksgiving Dinners
November 20, 2015

Spotlight: Pernell Brice Shares How FeedingNYC Delivers 3,000 Thanksgiving Dinners

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With Thanksgiving just around the corner, New Yorkers are busy perfecting their menus and preparing to do some serious supermarket shopping. But for many in the city, celebrating Thanksgiving is not a given—and this is particularly true for families living in shelters. But that's where the Dream Big Foundation's annual Thanksgiving project, FeedingNYC, steps in. Since 2001, FeedingNYC has been on a mission to help families in shelters celebrate the holiday by providing them with all of the Thanksgiving essentials. What started out as 75 meals in shelters has turned into 3,000 dinners delivered each year, for a total of 35,000 meals over the program's 14 years. And to make this happen, it takes a lot of fundraising, numerous partnerships and a wonderful group of volunteers. Pernell Brice, executive director of Dream Big Foundation, is responsible for growing and expanding this important project, and every year he makes sure it goes off without a hitch. 6sqft recently spoke with Pernell to learn more about FeedingNYC and what it takes to get all those meals out to those who need them.
6sqft's interview with Pernell this way
10 Unexpected and Affordable Host Gifts for Thanksgiving
November 20, 2015

10 Unexpected and Affordable Host Gifts for Thanksgiving

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It's always tough when your Thanksgiving host tells you not to worry about bringing anything for the meal. With stuffing and pumpkin pie out of the question, what can you bring as a token of gratitude? Forget standard run-of-the-mill host gifts like a jar of jam or Yankee candle–6sqft has rounded up some fun and affordable options that are unexpected yet surprisingly useful. From a clever wine tote made in Brooklyn to an adopted olive tree in Italy, here are our top ten hostess gift picks.
See them all
Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/19-11/22

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers!

November 19, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/19-11/22

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This week is heavy on the Thursday art events, so put on some comfortable shoes and go big tonight. Start by checking out SOFTlab's brand new crystalline pavilion in front of the Flatiron building before heading west to Chelsea where Ron English debuts his new quirky evolution nativity set. Hop over to the The International Print Center to see 68 new prints inspired by Dante's "Divine Comedy." Then hop south to Castor Gallery for Stacy Leigh's creepy yet sexy photos of sex dolls, and end the night by nabbing a piece of nightlife history at the Mudd Club Rummage Sale. Kick the weekend off by immersing yourself in the incredible vibrant world of Ebony G. Patterson at the Museum of Art and Design, then have a religious experience at Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, which will be transformed into a chapel of your dreams. Wrap up the weekend with a cultural experience celebrating sound art at PS 1 for Sunday Sessions.
All the best events to check out here
New York Buildings Photoshopped Into the Paris Cityscape Create a Dramatically Different Skyline
November 18, 2015

New York Buildings Photoshopped Into the Paris Cityscape Create a Dramatically Different Skyline

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What makes Paris so enchanting is its wonderful architecture, and while many of New York's oldest buildings take inspiration from the City of Light, placing them in a Parisian context isn't quite as seamless an act as one would think. In Paris, where low-slung architecture is favored over the supertall (buildings are rarely more than five or six stories tall, and until 2010 the height limit on all new buildings was 121 feet), a new project called "Haussmanhattan" (Haussman + Manhattan) reimagines what the landscape would have looked like if the European city had joined the great skyscraper race of the early 20th century.
Check out all the eye-popping mashups here
The World’s Largest Display of Miniatures Is Coming to Times Square in 2017
November 17, 2015

The World’s Largest Display of Miniatures Is Coming to Times Square in 2017

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Micro is all the rage in NYC right now, and currently in the works is another teensy project with designs on taking up a less-than-diminutive space in the heart of Times Square. Called Gulliver's Gate, this miniature spectacular will showcase more than 300 buildings, 1,000-plus model trains, cars and planes, and a vast collection of 3D-printed global replicas that include Times Square, Grand Central, and lower Manhattan, to become the biggest Lilliputian installation in the world at 49,000 square feet. According to Crain's, Gulliver's Gate has just signed a 15-year lease for the first and second floors of the former New York Times Building at 216 West 44th Street. The attraction, "the largest, most intricate, most technologically advanced display anywhere" according co-creator Eiran Gazit, will cost $30 million to build.
Find out more here
Craig Ward Creates Prints of Bacteria Found in NYC Subways

E. Coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and mold (the big fuzzy blobs) on the D train

November 17, 2015

Craig Ward Creates Prints of Bacteria Found in NYC Subways

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Last February, 6sqft reported on a research project from Weill Cornell Medical College that mapped the DNA found on the New York City subway, which was said to include bubonic plague and anthrax. The scientists eventually reneged on their alarming findings, but little did they know that a Brooklyn-based artist was picking up where they left off. While riding the train this past summer, Craig Ward "saw a fellow photo­grapher’s image of bacteria cultured from her son’s handprint," according to New York magazine. Fascinated by how it related to the urban myth that "when you hold on to the subway railings, you shake hands with 100 people all at once," he embarked on a project to ride all 22 subway lines, collecting bacteria samples from poles and seats. What resulted is this strangely beautiful "Subvisual Subway" print series of everything from salmonella to Staphylococcus aureus.
See more this way
Wieland Vogel’s Chandelier Expands From 20 to 80 Inches in the Blink of an Eye
November 13, 2015

Wieland Vogel’s Chandelier Expands From 20 to 80 Inches in the Blink of an Eye

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In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, some days, you just want to make magic happen from the comfort of your own home. If you live alone, or just happen to hold an impromptu party once in a while, have a look at this incredible expanding design. Created by Dutch designer Wieland Vogel, "Aureool a.k.a Halo" is a brilliant chandelier that contracts and expands with a simple flick of the hand.
Learn more about this clever design
Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/12-11/18

Photo via Etienne Frossard, © Deborah Kass, courtesy Two Trees Management Co.

November 12, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/12-11/18

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In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Be the first to take a pic of the giant new "YO" (or is it OY?) sculpture in Brooklyn Bridge Park which was installed this week. Take in an artist talk with Awol Erizku, who challenges the traditional idea of the male gaze, Fiona Banner as she talks language with the Public Art Fund, or head to the Fashion Institute of Technology for a panel discussion on art in the age of surveillance. Fernando Do Campo unveils a new site-specific installation in Chelsea, Kim Keever's abstract underwater pigment swirls enliven Waterhouse and Dodd, and Paul Booth revamps his goth gallery, reopening this week. After it's all said and done, chow down on hot dogs and beer at Paul Pretzer's studio while getting a sneak peak of his January solo show.
All the best events to check out here
Combine the Joys of an Adult Coloring Book With the Convenience of a Notebook
November 10, 2015

Combine the Joys of an Adult Coloring Book With the Convenience of a Notebook

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As adults, most of our time is spent at work, and it seems unfair that we're no longer given the opportunity to delve into our creative side as often as when we were children. However the trend of adult coloring books it helping to right this injustice, and new to its roster of titles is the "Coloring Notebook." This clever take combines all of the joys of a coloring book with the convenience of a compact notebook.
READ MORE
Iconic Plastic Armchair Sells at Sotheby’s Auction for $409,000
November 6, 2015

Iconic Plastic Armchair Sells at Sotheby’s Auction for $409,000

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At a recent Sotheby's auction in London, the Miss Blanche armchair, from the Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata, sold for a whopping £269,000 ($409,000 U.S. dollars). The iconic plastic resin chair was named after Blanche Dubois from Tennessee Williams' play "A Streetcar Named Desire" and was created in 1988, three years before the artist's death. The production of the chair was rather complex, as it required each artificial rose to be held in place for long periods of time so the resin could harden around it. The artist also experimented with using actual roses, but the acrylic resin ruined the flowers before setting. Ultimately it was decided that "fake" materials were more appropriate because Blanch Dubois was in fact superficial.
More on the chair
Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/5-11/11

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers!

November 5, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 11/5-11/11

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If you missed out on the '90s heyday of the Tunnel nightclub, this weekend you can experience its new use as an art center and venue for the Editions/Artists Book Fair. Performa15 also comes to town, and lands in Times Square with a new Midnight Moment flick and a performance of live opera. Brookfield Place in Battery Park hosts the annual Canstruction exhibition, where food donated to City Harvest becomes innovative sculptures before becoming a hot meal. Brooklyn's Cotton Candy Machine eeks out another great event before it closes–a mini comic book festival–while around the corner an art show proves that punk rock is not dead. Lastly, iconic photographer Sandy Skoglund recreates an accidental performance that once enlivened a Little Italy window in 1979, this time touching modernity in a Chelsea art gallery window.
All the best events to check out here
The World’s Most Expensive Dollhouse Will Be On Show at Columbus Circle This Month
November 3, 2015

The World’s Most Expensive Dollhouse Will Be On Show at Columbus Circle This Month

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If you think Manhattan condos are pricey, feast your eyes on the world's most expensive dollhouse! Valued at $8.5 million, The Astolat Dollhouse Castle is a 29-room micro-mansion that's been is filled to the brim with 10,000 painstakingly crafted miniatures that include "elaborate furniture, oil paintings, mirrors, fireplaces, gold miniature jewelry, rare-mini books more than 100 years old, fine rugs, fabrics, and pieces made of and silver and gold." Sound too absurd to be true? Well, you can check out this pricey and petite pad up close and personal starting this month. The Shops of Columbus Circle at Time Warner Center (TWC) will be showing the dollhouse for the first time ever since it was built in the 1980s.
Find out more here
Construction Update: Herzog & de Meuron’s 215 Chrystie Street Shimmies and Shakes Upward
November 3, 2015

Construction Update: Herzog & de Meuron’s 215 Chrystie Street Shimmies and Shakes Upward

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The structure of Ian Schrager/Witkoff Group's 26-story hotel/condominium combo 215 Chrystie Street is now more than half way up, giving us a clearer view of the "tough-luxe" exterior composed of raw concrete and large clear glass panes. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning firm Herzog & de Meuron, with Handel Architects as architects of record, the tower's lower levels feature a highly-textured facade of inwardly-tilting columns framing expansive clear panes of glass. The tilt creates slightly more interior space, and from ground level, increases the amount of reflection in the glass, thus providing more privacy for guests. According to the firm's webpage on the project, "The structure of the building is pushed to the exterior and follows the grid of the large floor-to-ceiling window bays. This introduces a depth to the façade on the exterior and liberates the interior from freestanding columns."
See more construction shots and renderings
Apartment-Friendly Kama Sutra Art Replaces Bodies With Buildings
November 2, 2015

Apartment-Friendly Kama Sutra Art Replaces Bodies With Buildings

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Most of us have heard of the Kama Sutra, and as interesting as it is, it might not be our first choice for our home's wall decor. But this non-traditional version, entitled Archisutra, from architectural illustrator Federico Babina, may be clever enough to change your mind. Traditionally pictorial interpretations of the Kama Sutra include human bodies demonstrating sexual positions from the ancient sanskrit text; however, in Babina's version, the bodies are replaced with buildings while the positions remain the same.
See the illustrations
Mapping the Most Popular Halloween Candy by State
October 31, 2015

Mapping the Most Popular Halloween Candy by State

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6sqft has already brought you a map of what Americans love to eat most by state, but when October rolls around, New Yorkers forget about the avocados (yes, that's our state's favorite food) and move on to sweeter treats. So before you get yourself into a sugar coma today, check out this fun map of the most popular Halloween candy by state (h/t Mashable). Turns out, the most number of states chose candy corn, but Reeses Peanut Butter Cups had the highest number of total votes. New Yorkers, however, have a very strange favorite...
See what it is
Spotlight: Witch Starr RavenHawk, Founder of the New York City Wiccan Family

Image © Laia Abril/Institute

October 30, 2015

Spotlight: Witch Starr RavenHawk, Founder of the New York City Wiccan Family

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New York is a very diverse city, so it should be no surprise that within the city’s midst are witches—and we're not talking the kind starring on Broadway’s "Wicked." Witches is one term for women and men who practice the religion Wicca. (Of note, not everyone who practices Wicca refers to themselves as a witch—but more on this ahead). Starr RavenHawk is a witch and the founder of The New York City Wiccan Family Temple. On October 31st, Starr and fellow witches/Wiccans will celebrate Samhain, a holiday that marks their new year. While this happens to be on the same day as Halloween, Samhain is not about sweets, scaring people or merriment. Rather, the new year is a time to honor those who have passed away. As Starr explains, this is a very personal holiday and how one celebrates it will vary. This week 6sqft spoke with Starr to debunk some myths about witches and Wicca and to learn more about The New York City Wiccan Family Temple and Samhain.
Everything you need to know this way
PBDW’s Nomad Hotel Prepares for 20-Story Addition to Historic McKim Mead & White Building
October 30, 2015

PBDW’s Nomad Hotel Prepares for 20-Story Addition to Historic McKim Mead & White Building

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Alex Ohebshalom’s Empire Management may finally be moving forward with plans to convert a McKim Mead & White-designed bank building at 250 Fifth Avenue and construct a 21-story hotel-tower behind. The project is the latest to join Nomad's recent hotel boom that has produced the Ace Hotel, Nomad Hotel, Flatiron Hotel, and the upcoming Virgin Hotel. While building permits filed in July have yet to be approved, the existing six-story building recently cleared out its retail tenants, and its upper office floors now appear empty. Since the site lies within the Madison Square North Historic District, the owners, under the LLC Quartz Associates, had to secure approvals from both Community Board 5 and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. With a proven track-record of steering projects in historically sensitive areas towards approval, architects Platt Byard Dovell White were commissioned. PBDW uncovered that a mid-rise loft building was once proposed for the site and this evidence allowed for LPC to more seriously consider a taller addition to the 1907, palazzo-like building designed for Second National Bank.
Find out more
Times Square’s Marriott EDITION Hotel Breaks Ground, Will Boast 76,000SF of Food Space
October 29, 2015

Times Square’s Marriott EDITION Hotel Breaks Ground, Will Boast 76,000SF of Food Space

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Earlier this week, the five-star Marriott EDITION hotel, slated to tower over Duffy Square, broke ground. The 39-story, 517-foot tall building is being developed by a partnership between the Witkoff Group, Howard Lorber’s New Valley LLC, Winthrop Realty Trust, and Maefield Development. Going by the invented address of 20 Times Square (701 Seventh Avenue), the 370,000-square-foot tower will be the first hotel to rise directly along the Square's "bow-tie" area since Gary Barnett opened the W Times Square in 2000. Taking full advantage of its coveted, highly-trafficked location, the project will contain 76,000 square feet of retail and food and beverage space, as well as an outdoor roof terrace. Its six-story podium anchors the northeast corner of 47th Street and Seventh Avenue and will be wrapped by a 120-foot-tall, 18,000-square-foot LED display, which according to the Witkoff Group, "will be one of the largest and most technologically advanced in the world today."
More details and renderings ahead
Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – Halloween Edition!

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers!

October 29, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – Halloween Edition!

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Halloween week is my favorite time of the year, and this week I've rounded up a mix of art and Halloween events that lets uncreatives feel a part of (and even look like) something arty this weekend. Get into the spirit with Margaret Bowland's compelling paintings that brush on wealth and violence at Driscoll Babcock. Susanne Bartsch heads from her museum show at FIT to MoMA PS1's Halloween party for a complete night of museum-quality art (on both counts) and fun. Performance impresario Anna Copa Cabanna hits us twice, with hellish go-go in Williamsburg, then Old New York fun at Sid Gold's Request Room. Performance art group CHERYL invite guests to become part of their immersive world once again with Psychopomp, partnered with Gayletter. After you've washed the glitter out of your hair, rejoin society and check out the beautiful Donald Byrd and Charles Wuorinen dance performance at the Guggenheim, before getting a leg up on the inaugural Honolulu Biennial at a special panel sponsored by Artnet.
All the best events to check out here
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