PILLOWLANDO9
PILLOWLANDO9 Organized by Brian Feldman
Brian Feldman Projects and a Cast of Hundreds
April 4, 2009
Duncan Park at SunTrust Center, Orlando FL</strong>
It’s another turn in the comfy mosh pit of PILLOWLANDO, a chance for the citizens of this World-Class city to get some sunshine while beating the crap out of each other in a loving friendly fashion. This year’s choice of venue made timing tricky; I was on a meter and had to be done by 5:30. At 4:30, a half dozen people sat quietly on the grass, and the photographers began rolling up. We chatted about exposures and editing and if cameras would outnumber fighters.
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No worry on that count, bicyclists with bedding balanced on their heads and parents pushing strollers with linens soon filled this small piece of greenery. A well-enforced dog ordinance and a dearth of local residents in Orlando’s ever more vacant condo towers means this park is largely reserved for lunching office workers and the permanently unemployed. That is, no dog poop to worry about. Shortly before 5, Mr. Feldman arrived in a long white coat and sweat band, looking likea suburban pimp in a 70’s Blaxploitation movie.
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The group was lined up for some pre-fight pictures, and at 5 sharp, we heard the call “Raise your Pillows!” and the battle commenced. There were fewer battle calls than last year, although theming was in evidence. A group of three young men with variations on Smiley faced pillows tag teamed the crowd while a woman with bright orange hair flailed back at them. One of the photographers duct taped pillows to his body and ended up looking like Alexei Sayle from “The Young Ones.” Small children gleefully attacked adults they did not know. Vultures circled overhead. The police did not intervene; at least not until after I left.
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Is there meaning to this sort of semi coordinated public pajama party? Of course, it’s in the act of play that we define ourselves as sentient beings. By engaging in stylized mock warfare, we show that we can deal with other tribes without the biological imperative kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. We show that on a nice day, 100 or so strangers can mutually agree on boundaries and a set of alternate appropriate behaviors that would not be allowed at work, in the mall, or on a transcontinental flight. And it didn’t cost anything except a buck to park.
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For more information on IWorld Pillow Fight Day please see http://www.pillowfightday.com
For more information on Brian Feldman Projects, please visit http://www.brianfeldman.com/ or http://twitter.com/PILLOWLANDO
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