EAST VILLAGE — Performance Space 122 on Saturday will launch a free, interactive mobile tour highlighting the storied history of performance art in the East Village and Lower East Side, with hopes of ultimately expanding to a citywide experience.
The tour, set to kick off on May 7 and run through the month, will take participants to four noteworthy sites for performance art in the once-bohemian neighborhoods, providing insight into the area’s rich artistic history, according to a rep.
“The hope is to track this ephemeral performance art history that we have, that leaves traces [that] we don’t necessarily have in the way other art forms, like paintings, are documented,” said Emily Reilly of PS 122.
The tour will begin at the legendary PS 122 performance space at 150 First Ave., founded in 1980 when the neighborhood was a haven for starving artists, where artist and stuntsman David Leslie dressed as "The Sound of Music" heroine Maria von Trapp and catapulted himself five stories down into a crash mat.
The now-iconic event is narrated by Leslie himself in a video on the mobile tour, which participants will be able to download independently on their phones, said Reilly.
The 45-minute walking tour, presented as part of Lower East Side History Month, will then tackle three other artistic hot spots and the performances that happened there — Tompkins Square Park, Howl! Arts, Inc. at 6 E. First St., and the Pyramid Club at 101 Avenue A.
The event delves into archival footage held by PS 122, featuring key moments in the city’s performance art history, said Reilly.
But the small-scale neighborhood tour is just the beginning — the performance space will continue to add locations to the mobile tour throughout the coming months, ultimately providing a thorough performance art history of the entire city.
“This is just the beginning phase,” said Reilly. “The hope is to start expanding all over the city.”
The May 7 kickoff will feature a guided tour at 2 p.m. and a reception immediately following.
More information on the tour can be found at PS 122's website.
