UPDATE: The Art Parade was canceled for rain, but that doesn’t mean Ferris will have the day off for good. Mina sent out an e-mail out to participants saying “we already have our sights on bringing this scene to life in even bigger and better ways. Take the Thanksgiving Day Parade for example…We’ll keep you posted.” Visit the project’s website for further updates.
New York artist Mina Karimi needs you to dress in 80’s business casual and head to SoHo this weekend. There you’ll find other agents ready, waiting for the parade float to go by. When Ferris Beuller comes out, and the music begins (come on, come on, come on baby now!), hundreds will erupt with joy, twisting and shouting. Sounds like a scene from a movie? Well, it is.
Mina is recruiting agents to reenact the parade scene from the film “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off” as part of the Deitch Project’s Art Parade 2008. The event is an annual opportunity for artists to create floats and other spectacles for the street, and this year they’re expecting the parade’s largest turn-out yet: about 900 participants. If all goes well, Mina will add about 600 twisting and shouting agents to the mix.
For those of you not familiar with the 80’s flick (and have clearly never attended a proper sleepover party), it’s the story of a high school senior (Matthew Broderick) skipping school to enjoy one of the most perfect Spring days. At one point in the movie, after escaping the suburbs for Chicago with his girl and his best friend at his side, Ferris sneaks onto a float at the Von Steuben Day parade.
I spoke with Mina about this scene from the film, and all that goes into recreating it.
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Though you can’t watch the classic parade scene on YouTube, you can find a dubbed version of it over here.
Art Parade 2008 will be taking place along West Broadway from Houston to Grand Street this Saturday, September 6th at 4pm. If you’d like to be an official twister and shouter for this float, send an e-mail along to projectbueller@gmail.com for further details and instructions. Your e-mail should include the subject line “Ready and Willing” if you are ready and willing, “?” if you have questions, and “!” if you have a comment.
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