HIGH LINE STORIES: Realizing a dream…

Joshua David (L) and Robert Hammond (R) with High Line supporter, Ethan Hawke

Sundancechannel.com recently caught up with the very busy co-founders of Friends of the High Line, Robert Hammond and Joshua David, whose vision is captured in the Sundance Channel Original Series HIGH LINE STORIES.

The beautiful High Line is now open (see New York Times Architecture Review) and in Part 3 of our conversation (click here if you missed Part 1 and Part 2) Robert and Josh detail the mission of the Friends of the High Line going forward.

Science and the city

Brian Greene, festival co-founder and theoretical physics professor at Columbia University, with the respected Dr. Bunson Honeydew

From June 10-14, New York City will host the second annual World Science Festival, a series of programs and lectures that highlight the big questions in science and how they influenced the big questions in other fields, like philosophy, ethics, and the arts. The festival’s primary mission is “to cultivate and sustain a general public informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future,” a reminder that that science part of all of our lives, from the philosophical to the practical, and is worth knowing about.

Diane von Furstenberg on the High Line

Diane von Furstenberg with Friends of the High Line co-founders, Joshua David and Robert Hammond

Sundancechannel.com is thrilled to present our guest blogger this week – the beautiful and inspirational Diane von Furstenberg! The designer was an early proponent of the High Line and continues to lend her support to the exciting new elevated park (now open – see New York Times) in Manhattan.

Read more of Diane’s thoughts on the High Line!

HIGH LINE STORIES – Putting it together…

Robert Hammond and Joshua David with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (then New York Senator) on the High Line in 2006

Sundancechannel.com recently caught up with the very busy co-founders of Friends of the High Line, Robert Hammond and Joshua David, whose vision is captured in the Sundance Channel Original Series HIGH LINE STORIES.

In Part 2 of our conversation (click here to read Part 1 if you missed it!) Robert and Josh recount their crash course in preservation, legal action and grass roots organization during their efforts to follow through on re-purposing the High Line.

HIGH LINE STORIES – In the beginning…

Robert Hammond and Joshua David, co-founders, Friends of the High Line

In conjunction with our new digital shorts series HIGH LINE STORIES, Sundancechannel.com caught up with the very busy co-founders of Friends of the High Line, Robert Hammond and Joshua David and learned more about how two citizens of New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, who had never previously met, joined forces to save and re-purpose the High Line.

Learn the transformation of this elevated railway as New York City reinvents the urban oasis.

Times Square Beach

A kinder and gentler traffic in Times Square.

Finally catching up to many European cities who have made their city centers “pedestrian only” for years, New York City’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg has closed Broadway to vehicular traffic between 47th and 42nd Streets straight through the middle of Times Square in New York City. Bloomberg says that clearing both Times Square and Herald Square (from 35th to 33rd Streets on Broadway) of motorized vehicles will lower the number of pedestrian accidents and cut down on pollution.

Anniversary of George Willig’s 1977 WTC climb

While the spotlight has recently been cast upon Phillippe Petit due to the popularity of the documentary MAN ON WIRE, this week marks the anniversary of another famous stunt involving the World Trade Center that occurred on May 25, 1977. That day beginning at 6:30 am, a Queens mountain climber and toymaker George Willig began scaling the South Tower using custom clamps. When guards caught on and yelled at him to get down he replied, “I’m not coming down. There’s only one way to go, and that’s up.”

Vintage New York

Jeff Desom created this poetic film composed from vintage photographs of New York City accompanied by the perfect music by Hauschka. As Andrew Sullivan pointed out, stick around for the falling piano starting around the 1:30 mark. Hauschka – Morgenrot from Jeff Desom on Vimeo.

High Line Stories – New York City Reinvents the Urban Oasis

Sundancechannel.com is excited to present HIGH LINE STORIES as part of our original programming in Digital Shorts. The series tells the story of the High Line in New York City, profiling those involved in transforming this 1.5 mile elevated railway along the west side of Manhattan into a park in the sky. From celebrities to [...]

Defy gravity with design : FlyNY Kite Festival

Architect Heinrich Hohmann with his entry, “City of Glass.” Photo credit : Macy Lao.

On May 9th 2009, architects, designers, artists, and assorted kite lovers converged on Manhattan’s Riverside Park for the first annual FlyNY, an international kite design competition. Founded by architects Hannah Purdy, Aurelie Paradiso, and Victoria Walsh, the festival was open to novice recreational flyers to seasoned pros. The top three designs will be featured in an article in the June issue of Metropolis magazine, and all winning kites will be auctioned off at a party in Chelsea on May 28th, with proceeds benefiting Architecture for Humanity.

Allan Holdsworth – Backstage at Iridium Jazz Club (Part 2)

Guitarist Allan Holdsworth onstage at Iridium with Chad Wackerman on drums

BETWEEN SETS WITH ALLAN HOLDSWORTH (PART 2):

Sundancechannel.com caught a few minutes to chat with legendary British guitarist, Allan Holdsworth after a fierce concert at Iridium Jazz Club in New York City. Be sure to check out Part 1 of our conversation with Holdsworth if you missed it.

Read Part 2 inside.

Allan Holdsworth – Backstage at Iridium Jazz Club (Part 1)

Allan Holdsworth onstage at Iridium Jazz Club NYC April 25 BETWEEN SETS WITH ALLAN HOLDSWORTH (PART 1): Just three blocks north of Times Square in Manhattan, you’ll find the world-famous Iridium Jazz Club (51st Street and Broadway). Featuring a perfect blend of the top established names in jazz and the most talented up and coming [...]

Arturo Sandoval – Backstage at Iridium Jazz Club

ARTURO SANDOVAL ONSTAGE AT IRIDIUM APRIL 18, 2009 BETWEEN SETS WITH ARTURO SANDOVAL: The world-famous Iridium Jazz Club, located just north of Times Square at 51st Street and Broadway in Manhattan, plays host to some of the top names in jazz from around the world – as well as some of the brightest new faces [...]

The un-zeitgeist interviewer

Like a Rip Van Winkle from the late ’90s, comic Gil Ozeri conducts interviews with random strangers in the streets of New York City asking untopical questions about Friendster, Enron, and the “Rachael” haircut, among others. [Via]

Tomorrow is World Pillow Fight Day

Grab your heftiest stuffed pillow tomorrow because Saturday, April 4 is World Pillow Fight Day! As well as the usual suspects like New York City (Wall St. and Broad St. at 3:00 PM) and London, participating cities include Guayaquil, Kuala Lumpur, and Miyazaki City, among many others! Selfish (kidding!) San Francisco couldn’t wait and already [...]

Babel Tales

I like to think New York City’s unofficial slogan ought to be the capital of diversity. But then again, maybe it’s more homogeneous than we like to believe as artist Peter Funch suggests in the cleverly and subtly edited photos in his “Babel Tales” series. Many of the images implies a landscape of doppelgangers, and [...]