The event of a thread is made up of many crossings of the near at hand and the far away: it is a body crossing space, is a writer’s hand crossing a sheet of paper, is a voice crossing a room in a paper bag… – Ann Hamilton
The exhibit at the Armory on Park Avenue and 66th is hard to explain.
There are pigeons, swings, talking paper bags, a writer, a reader, a listener, more…
The kids did not want to go but were glad they went.
It must be experienced. Laying on your back watching the billowing silk above. Hypnotizing.
I had one insight which is this: it is not work that makes the world go (the curtain lift), it is 
play.
Play is the engine.
H. discovered that our swing was not pulling the curtain alone. He spotted this when we were looking down from above. Our swing was inextricably, almost invisibly, connected to someone else’s swing who was also making the curtain dance.
Through play.
I found out about this exhibit while scanning my Facebook feed. Thanks, Yris Bilia! You made it look so fun. And it was.
Related articles
- Three shows to make you smile (ediebresler.wordpress.com)
- Get Cultured: The Event of a Thread (theharperproject.com)
- Park Avenue Armory: Billowing in a Field of Swings (theartjunkie.wordpress.com)
100 Days of Poems and Pics 
Marybeth, I’m in total agreement with your insight! I knew it from within but wasn’t able to put it in words. Reading your words was a ‘crossing’ for me. And your photos are captivating. I’m very happy I was able to drive you to experience this wonderful exhibit.
thanks! I would not have gone without your inspiration!
PosureLove seeing first hand the interconnectedness of play + creativity. The paintings + pictures + photos in our cameras + our heads serve as witness to such DELIGHT in this playing!! I have a HUGE brag book in my head waiting journalistic exposure. I think that the thread event may have put me over the top!! Thanks for the post mb.
keep writing and creating. there are amazing things happening all around us!
Love seeing first hand the interconnectedness of play + creativity. The paintings + pictures + photos in our cameras + our heads serve as witness to such DELIGHT in this playing!! I have a HUGE brag book in my head waiting journalistic exposure. I think that the thread event may have put me over the top!! Thanks for the post mb.