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The project will consist of 12 once-a-month performances called “Silent Walks on the Half-Moon.” Each performance will lead participants on a group silent walk through the woods at the base of Storm King Mountain.  This mountain is part of the Hudson Highlands, a chain of mountains that border the lower Hudson River. 

Where: Participants will meet at a designated parking area at the Mountain Road trailhead in Cornwall-on-Hudson.  There, they will be briefly introduced to the performance, including the requirement of silence. Participants will be directed to follow each other along a wide path for about 20 minutes to a trail spur that goes to a look out.  From the look out, they will be able to view an impressive expanse of the Hudson River that stretches for about four miles.

When: The performances will take place once a month at 6pm on the evening of the waxing half-moon.  Tip: Waxing moons are being born, so when you add a line to the crescent, it forms the letter “b.”  Waning moons are dying, so the added line forms the letter “d.” This day of the month was chosen to commemorate Henry Hudson’s vessel, the Halfmoon.  (This year marks the 400^th anniversary of Hudson’s sailing this river, so many villages are organizing celebrations.) The time of day was chosen for its convenience to the workday and for its clear demonstration of light changing over the course of the year.  Imagine the difference between the first sunny 6pm walk in June and the darkness at 6pm in December.   Participants are encouraged to attend as many walks as they can throughout the year.  After each person has had a chance to enjoy the view, the procession will follow a loop back down to the trailhead.  People are encouraged to share their experiences of the walk before leaving verbally and in writing. Their comments and documentary photographs of the walk are posted on the blog.

Only dangerously severe weather such as lightening will postpone a performance by one day. While general precautions will be taken, participants will agree in writing to walk at their own risk.  Flashlights, bug repellant and a first aid kit will be available at each walk.

The fundamental purpose of this project is to create a situation where the experience of landscape as art is as unfiltered as possible.  Rather than experiencing representations of landscape in a gallery or museum where viewers are relatively passive and removed from the actual land depicted, they will be required to physically put themselves into what they are observing.  In fact, they are part of it.  Contextualizing the Silent Walks as an artistic experience allows participants to “turn on their art light.”  In other words, they will consider their sensory experience in a consciously aesthetic way. That is also the reason to walk in silence.  Sharing without words will allow participants to pay attention to the ambient sounds, smells, colors and weather rather than their conversations. Not talking does not mean not sharing, as each participant will be part of a large group walking silently along a trail.  Perhaps they will even feel like a herd, and while that may seem humorous, the identification with what is animal about us, and our collective experience, is the core concept of the Silent Walks.

Skrzynski was inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy and Richard Long, two artists who essentially point to nature and say, “Notice this!”  She also considers these walks as a tribute to the Hudson River School of landscape painting. She links these performances to collaborative performances by artists such as Rirkrit Tarivanija, who cooked meals for people as his gallery exhibition. Skrzynski believes participants in the Silent Walks will retain a potent memory of this specific place at this particular time.  Especially for those who walk each month, memories of seasonal ambience, discomfort and pleasure will form a profound awareness of the Storm King Mountain over time.  She intends for these experiences to permeate into a daily awareness of our connections to our surroundings.  Skrzynski also believes in the power of the ephemeral.  Each performance survives only in memory, yet these memories can change behavior. Her community is proud of its relationship to the Hudson River and has fought to keep it unspoiled.  These performances participate in that tradition, creating a chance to form lasting connections within the simple act of taking a walk.  With the Silent Walks, Skrzynski creates a context, naming a walk through the woods as ‘Art’ to alter concepts of what and who is nature, and what and who makes art.

Community Interaction.

For locals, these walks will foster a “pride of place” as they share the unique qualities of where they live and pay homage to it. As part of the “Celebrate New York 400” events, the walks will have a historical context as well.  For example, 30 years ago the Hudson Valley community fought to save Storm King Mountain from being the site of a huge power plant. (This gave birth to the Scenic Hudson organization and most consider it the birth of the environmental movement.) The post-walk reception and the facebook page will provide another layer of community interaction.   Because the artwork is fundamentally participatory, each walk will engender a shared experience that will connect people not only to their environment, but also with each other.  In a larger sense, Skrzynski hopes this project will be the first of many community-based Silent Walks started by other artists anywhere in the world.

May 8, June 12, July 10, Aug 14, Sept 11

Shop local, buy handmade.  A local outdoor craft market held Second Saturdays 11-5 throughout the summer (check website for raindates).

http://craftstand.blogspot.com/