This blog is part of Remix NYC: a Turntablism Spoken Word Poetry My New York Model Program at New Design High School, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The program is guided by a Foundation Statement, which guides our artistic work as we explore Essential Questions.
In 1811, the destiny of Manhattan Island was laid out on a grid, literally. The potential for growth was programmed to rise vertically, to build on itself, to swallow it’s own nature in the name of commerce and progress. At the same time, as New York City ages, it renews itself in ways that are unmistakably repetitive. Innovation births destruction, trends and phenomenon are recycled, and the paper chase shows no mercy on the working class.
Based on the Hip Hop idea of Sampling, Turntablism and the Spoken Word, we will re-envision our New York by looking at the ways that NYC has been remixed over the last 200 years.
We will consider the cost of progress, the struggle to preserve tradition and the price tag put on nostalgia. We will consider the idea of ownership, co-option, and “the mix.” Ultimately, we will write performance pieces that sample and remix NYC in our present and future vision.
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