SYDMOB #18 Saturday, 19h June 2004 - Global Flash Mob #2 - Approx participant count: 100 +
Emailed Instructions
SYDMOB #18
On the Morning of Saturday 19th June, you should have already synchronized your
watch to the time of the Telstra clock, available by calling 1194
*** Each person will need to bring a five cent piece, and a/some stick(s) of
chalk. Each person will also need to get an item from the mob rep ***
*By 1:50pm you should be in Sydney CBD, make your way to Hyde Park (North) -
near the "Chess Board"
*The Mob Rep will be only present between 2:00pm and 2:45 pm*
Look for an individual who is a wallabies jersey, holding an umbrella and a
silver folder, once found, approach and say this: "Is that a rug in your pocket
or are you just pleased to see me ?"
Script Instructions - This Flashmob is in three parts....
SYDMOB #18 GFM 2 - 1
Mob Length: 5 minutes (near site 2:55 converge & act @ 3:00pm, disperse @
3:05pm)
Mob site: Pit Street Mall
"People with Sticks"
By 2:55, you will have made your way to Myers Pitt Street Mall, Level 2.
At 3:00 precisely, make your way to the Kitchen Utensils area and remove your
"Stick" from your pocket. Hold it out in front of you and give it a critical
examination. Make sure that it is working by tapping your fingers on it a few
times.
Approach the displays. Begin to examine the objects carefully by touching them
with your stick. Place the stick on each item, and listen intently. Place your
ear close to the stick and make surprised, curious or concerned faces, as if the
stick has given you some critical information about the object. While doing it,
you may make Boop Boop Boop or clicking noises, like a Geiger counter. Imagine
that each object you're examining is absolutely new to you, it's the first time
in your life you've seen it.
It doesn't matter if this item is a Knife, Blender, whisk, utensil or whatever,
you have never come upon with such a thing before. If someone approaches you and
asks what you're looking for, stare at him in a startled manner, and apply the
stick to him, his hair, clothing etc. Rapidly lose interest in him and go back
to examining other objects in the store.
At 3:05 look at your stick, shake it a little, mutter to yourself, flick it with
your fingers. It is, apparently no longer working, put it into your pocket and
walk away, shaking your head.
Disperse
SYDMOB #18 GFM 2 - 2
Mob Length: 5 minutes (near site 3:15 converge & act @ 3:20pm, disperse @
3:25pm)
Mob site: David Jones Market Street
"Thanks for the Luv Rug"
By 3:15 You will have made your way to David Jones, Market Street Ground Floor.
At 3:20 One by one find your way to the rug section of the department store
(Level 5 or 6?). Approach the cashier, hand him\her a 5 cent coin and thank
him\her heartedly, saying "The love rug was GLORIOUS, thank you So much!".
Disperse
SYDMOB #18 GFM 2 - 3
Mob Length: open minutes (converge & act @ 9:00pm)
Mob site: Anywhere
"Bodylines"
The third part of the flashmob is to be performed at night, after 9 pm. There
will be no converge for this, simply go out to the central streets and squares
of your part of town with 3-10 sticks of white chalk. Draw body lines (the
outlines of corpses, as is shown in crime films) on the pavements, roads, public
squares, wherever you may be.
Feel free to travel about a bit, drawing body lines as the mood takes you. You
may wish to draw body lines of people or trace each other if doing bodylines
with friends, it is also encouraged to draw bodylines of Aliens, trees, animals,
soldiers, whatever takes your fancy.
Some of the bodylines should be holding sticks..
Booty time Sydney.....Was that a hoot or what !
Well guys, it has to be said. we are probably going to vote this as our favourite flashmob so far. We suspect that there will be more global flashmobs going off in the future, as, Poland, Russia, Germany and Australia are leading the charge to combine events. On the 19th of June, 103 sites participated at 3:00 pm local time, in similar events, with a regional twist. Onya Sydney, you did us proud
On Saturday, about 100 people showed up to a fairly fabulous event. This was the first mob that has been performed in three parts. and it must be said, we are considering making flashmobs more than one event each time. We recognise that some of you come from Bathurst and Newcastle, so, if you are making the trip, let's try to make it worth the bus fare! The camaraderie as we all gleefully made our way to the next site was a lot of fun. I loved being able to pick out the mobbers in the street simply by the laughter and sense of fun they exuded.
So, for those of you who were not there, or who missed bits of it. We, at first, went to Myers kitchen department. Our aim was to carefully examine the items on display with our "Sticks". As we listened to all the various objects on display (Dammned noisy, those frying pans and the like) we started to make weird, almost jungle sounds. Woooooop, Booop, BOOOp. Ackaacakacka. We were getting important feedback from our stick, obviously! The combined voices, whooping it up made the event even more surreal. We got such a laugh at all the perplexed beings who stood, mouth agape, wondering what on earth was going on! One organiser was approached by a mightily happy employee, who asked "What is this? Australia's Funniest home videos?" She waved her stick up and down his body, saying "Wooop, Booop, Booop, Booop" and walked off to examine other objects.
One mistake the organisers made, was, that, we had, as usual set a time to act. To our surprise, a lot of mobbers had begun to act quite early in the piece, which meant that some of you missed the first event. (So sorry about that) We have to keep these things short, because a bunch of loonies scares the hell out of security! Tempest led the charge out of the site just as the in store security were on their way up. No, we were not doing anything illegal, and to our joy, one of the Myers employees burst into applause as we left! How gorgeous is that! Dammn! Wouldn't you love to be at work and aroused into spontaneous applause? We will go back to giving a visual signal, as that is a lot easier to follow!
So, We left Myers, and it was on to the next target. Mal and I loved picking this site, even at half yearly sale time, it is such a dead store. Just the flow of the mobbers up and down the escalators caused comment from the staff. We suspect it is the largest crowd DJ's has drawn in a very long while. The floor staff were fairly agitated at first. It is possible they have never had so many people in the department. I know that when I gave the first "Thank you" 5 cents, the guy looked at me, heard me, decided I was stark raving mad, and made his way out of the area very rapidly. The ensuing deluge of grateful love ruggers offering their five cent gratuity drew reactions that ranged from giggling hand outstretched to almost horrified distain.
So, we dispersed, JJJ finished their coverage, and we all went on with our lives again. We were, however, armed with chalk. Today, as we went about our business, we were delighted to find the streets covered with bodylines, ranging from the obligatory stiff, through to copulating couples, aliens and even one that was half on the street, half on the wall.
So Stay tuned.....We will schedule the next event within the next two or three weeks. Listen to Hack on JJJ triplej.abc.net.au to listen on line, or 105.7 in Sydney. They are doing an radio article either Monday and Tuesday this week, between 5:30 through to 6 :00 PM, you may even hear yourself interviewed, and get the herald tomorrow. (Monday 21st) You may be in it too.
MOB IMAGES
That's a good looking rug.......
The sticks start to talk....
Beep, Woop, Whoooop, Whooooooop
Stick - Can you please speak up.....
Prune & his stick make friends with a frypan
What was that you said stick ?
Thanks for the Luv Rug.......
......It was glourious
Bodyline...z
VIDEO FOOTAGE (and other media)
Listen to Triple-J's Hack reporter Ali Benton story on GFM#2 -
Click Here
In the near future we may have some video footage and/or audio for you too
take a look at...stay tuned.....
As always, any other footage or photos people wish to contribute is more then welcome.