IE: "We Cause Scenes"

... And so you ask yourself, "what are a bunch of half-naked, dashing young men laying on a field of the greenest grass?" These are Improv Everywhere "agents", and they most certainly caused a scene when they herded their bare-chested bodies into an Abercrombie and Fitch store in an attempt to manifest the brand's media image.

Created in the spirit of performance art, Improv Everywhere is a prime example in which this Collaborative Arts blog praises: art works that revolve around communication, interaction, reaction, and most of all, FUN!

But down to the facts: Improv Everywhere started in the year of 2001 in New York City by Charlie Todd, an improv-based comedian of the Upright Citizens Brigade. Todd sets up a "mission" that participants (anyone who wants to participate) meet up for at a set time and place. The number of participants can start with one up to a hundred-eleven participants. Most of the time it is on a grand scale for the amazement factor. After congregating, Todd finally tells them what they have to do. Improvisation occurs - and then the laughter ensues.

Some of the most notable missions include:


BEST BUY:

- This is where 80 participants dressed up as Best Buy employees and entered a Best Buy and browsed the aisles. A lot of confusion - keep the audience guessing and on their toes.


Frozen Grand Central:
-By far one of my most favorite missions that I have seen. This video clearly shows the interaction and reactions of the audience that IE elicits.

I think Improv Everywhere has created an exciting image for performance art. It is especially pleasant that anybody can sign up to participate and have a light humor in, as opposed to conceptual artists who perform on critical notions. There are other sorts of performance art that are similar to IE - they'll be mentioned later in the week.


There are over 70 missions that have been executed. If you'd like to see more, videos are posted on the IE website.