the first unsilent night

Photos by Dakota Parrish

This year I decided I was going to participate in an Unsilent Night performance/walk/sound installation no matter what. I was determined to go this year, considering I heard about this piece in 2006 and thought it was the coolest idea ever. Who needs carolers when you can round up a few of your friends and friends of friends and freshmen and head out with analog tape players or even CDs or boom boxes and even apps on your cell phone.

Some backstory: In 2012 Cincinnati finally had their first Unsilent Night parade sponsored by the Contemporary Arts Center (huge thanks to Drew Klein) and Drew called (or texted?) me and asked if I wanted to participate and if I wanted to lend out my collection of tape recorders. Unfortunately at my new academic engagement, I had to listen and grade juries of all kinds (winds, brass, organ, voice, guitar, you name it, I had to be there). So, I was stuck in Delaware all day, but my tapes made it.