Fri 12/8 @ 7PM
Sat 12/9 @ 6:30-8:30PM
Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night debuted in 1992 when composer/sound artist Kline, a native of the Akron area, wrote a piece of music to be played simultaneously by multiple people in the streets of Greenwich Village in New York, where he’s based. Originally each participant got an Mp3 (!), CD (!!) or cassette (!!!) of one of four pieces of music, to be played on a boombox (!!!!!!!) to play while walking around a selected space to create a “mobile sound sculpture.” The event now takes place in more than 150 cities on five continents, where in some locations it attracts thousands of participants.
This year, there will be two chances to take part. The annual Unsilent Night that gathers in Tremont’s Lincoln Park at the Gazebo will take place again on Friday December 8, while another will launch from Hometown Bank Plaza in downtown Kent on Saturday December 9.
Bring a boombox, if you even know what that is, or your smart phone and Bluetooth speakers (more likely), to play one of four parts of the music which you’ve downloaded in advance here. Then start walking a pre-determined route; the walk is 45 minutes long. You’ll probably want to arrive at last 15 minutes before the events’ scheduled start time to get oriented. The walk starts exactly on time! In Kent they’ll have speakers set up on the plaza for those who aren’t participating in the walk to listen to. It’s free to take part or just watch and listen.
Cleveland, OH 44113
Kent, OH 44240