"Playing the Building", a 9,000 square-foot, interactive, site-specific installation by David Byrne, will transform the interior of the landmark Battery Maritime Building into a massive sound sculpture that can be “played” by anyone. Byrne’s debut public art project will consist of a retrofitted antique organ placed in the center of the building’s cavernous second-floor gallery. The organ will control a series of devices attached to the structural features of the building—the metal beams, plumbing, electrical conduits, heating pipes, and water pipes that line its architecture. These machines will vibrate, strike, and blow across the building elements, activating their unique harmonics and producing a cacophony of finely tuned sounds.

Volunteers for Playing the Building will work primarily as greeters and docents stationed at the entrance to the Battery Maritime Building or in the building’s Great Hall - an airy, naturally lit space in which the artwork is located. Work will mainly entail direct engagement with the audience and encouragement of the public to play the organ, but also inspection of the artwork’s components, occasional light clean-up of the building and general preparedness in the event of an emergency. Seating will be available for all volunteers throughout the day. Exhibition hours are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May 31-August 10.

The building is a Beaux-Arts landmark, completed in 1909. Unoccupied for decades, the building will be repurposed as a luxury hotel and marketplace in the months following the exhibition, with a multi-story addition planned to accommodate guests. Volunteers will enjoy the opportunity to experience this beautiful and historic building in its final days prior to conversion, as well as the remarkable waterfront location.

All volunteers will be invited to a special tour of the artwork with David Byrne and the opening party as well as receive a Creative Time publication and our eternal gratitude.

Creative Time will pay for the certification of certain volunteers as FDNY Certified Fire Guards (secured by taking a brief multiple-question test). Fire Guard volunteers will be asked to commit to at least 5 days on-site over the course of the exhibition.

Creative Time has 35 years of animating and amplifying New York City’s urban landscape and we couldn’t do it without the tremendous support of our volunteers.

If you are interested (and we hope you are!) please email us back with the following information:

Your name
Contact phone number
Fire Guard certified, yes or no
Numbers of shifts you can take

I will pass this information on to our Site Manager who will take over day-to-day scheduling and coordination. Please let me know if you have any questions and we really hope you can join us this summer!

Volunteers will be asked to attend one orientation seminar to familiarize themselves with the space and volunteer functions. Additionally, you may be asked to get certified as a NYC Fireguard, the fee for which the organization will pay for. Volunteers must be 18 years or older.

This opportunity is sponsored by: Creative Time

We need volunteers who are free at these times

Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su Morning Afternoon X X X Evening

Monthly Occasional

Adults (18-54) Small Group (2-10) Individual Unpaid Interns

Contact Person:
Cynthia Pringle, Manager, Executive Office And Operations, (212) 206-6674 x270, (email)

View all organization contacts

Address:

59 East 4th Street New York, NY 10003 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 2nd Avenue F, V,   Walk distance (in minutes): 3

This opportunity can also be performed in these locations:

Zip codes:

10004

Miscellaneous Information

Borough
	Manhattan
Volunteer Shifts
	Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 12-6, May 31st through august 10th.