Being afloat disarms the visitor, creating a space for new experiences, especially in close proximity to the water’s surface. The substance of water, unlike land, is unowned and unregulated, while singing in groups creates a unique communal intimacy. The boat couples these experiences and hopes to evoke a sense of freedom in community. On late summer nights, we gather on the dock facing the bay and with our song draw the boat in. All are welcomed in small groups onto the boat to learn simple, resonant group song together over the water. I built the boat for singing together with friends. The vessel is built from old docks scavenged from Jamaica Bay, scrap wood from New York City, and trees from Mount Desert Island, Maine. Completely enclosed by a canopy of saplings and fabric, an opening in the craft’s center over the water creates an intimate space for sharing song over water. The bow is crowned with a figurehead made by Haley Hughes.

Impossibly enormous thanks to Aly Perry, Caledonia Curry, Chess Venis, Connie Hockaday, David Bowers, Don Friedman, Emily Eagen, Emily + Tyler Drown, Garrett Olinger, Georgia Muenster, Greg Mihalko, Ian Curry, Ian Oberholtzer, Jaclyn Alexander, Jaime Iglehart, Jana Weaver, Jessica Spiegel, Kunji Rey, Laura Macmillian, Laurel Bell, Mariko Tanaka, Mike O’Toole, Orien McNeill, Porter Fox, Sara Reeske, Silvia Alba, Sonia Alexander, Stephan von Muehlen, Tracy Gilman, Gowanus Studio Space, Flux Factory, EFA Studios and Marina 59.

Click on the descriptions to hear some stories of the folks we met along the way. All stories edited by Todd Chandler:


Riverboat Captain Captain Ron Larson in Winona, MN talks about his life in the Navy and later as a Captain on the Mississippi River

Captain Ron Larson in Winona, MN tells a very special river story

John Bezdechek in Red Wing, MN talks about how Big Box stores have affected his life and work

A founding farmer of Organic Valley, Mike from Dubuque, IA talks about his experience urban farming.

The wonderful Miss Rosa Sparks of La Crosse, WI talks about drag shows and working in the AIDS community. Interview by Ellery Neon.

Judy Tompkins of Muscatine, IA talks about her life with her husband John and her work.

John Tompkins, Judy’s husband, of Muscatine, IA talks about his life and travels.

Helen Woodward, of Louisiana, MO talks about her life as a free woman.

Mark Miller of Hannibal, MO talks about getting saved and joining a Christian Bike Gang.

Rick Cole of Andalusia, IL talks about some very special wrestling, growing up on the banks of the river and his family growing up on the river.

Theresa Palmer of Clarksville, MO talks about her travels and all her children. She talks about her eldest son Austin being deployed to Iraq.

Todd Chandler is making a film shot during the journey. Here is a teaser for it:


FLOOD TEASER from flood movie on Vimeo.

FLOOD (working title)

Current status: in post-production

FLOOD is an experimental narrative journey. It begins on the water, on a fleet of hand crafted boats, pieced together from scrap and found materials . On water time twists and bends in mysterious ways. Some people aboard the rafts cannot remember a time before the water. Others are lost in their memories from a previous life on the land. Some remember the boats starting out as a summer project among friends. Others remember fleeing their homes. Still others remember that the way of living they used to know was no longer working, and that something had to give. As the flotilla creeps down the river the past, present, and future stories of the boats and their inhabitants becomes both clearer and more elusive.

A mash-up of genres, FLOOD blends narrative, cinema verité, musical, and improvised experimental film. The film was shot amidst the installation artist Swoon’s 2008 Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea project, in which seven homespun boats were built and crewed by an eclectic group of artists and performers. The boats floated down the Hudson River staging performances in towns along the way.

The film is loosely structured and largely improvised by non-actors playing themselves with fictionalized trajectories. The primary cast includes the bands Dark Dark Dark and Fall Harbor, members of which were actual crew on the boats. In addition to acting and performing in the film, the bands will be collaborating to write and record its musical score.

There will be two final versions of the film: one will be a stand-alone feature length film screened theatrically and at festivals, and another which will tour galleries, performance and community spaces in Spring 2010 with the musician/actors providing a live musical soundtrack.

For more information see: http://floodmovie.com


Light Body from A'yen Tran on Vimeo.

Walk through of A’yen Tran’s “light body” installation at Salon Adelphi IV, in New York 2008. Music: “A Cloud Story” by Dark Dark Dark.

Video shot by Porter Fox