Ryan McNamara’s latest performance piece will explore Jimmy Carter’s Malaise Speech (photo courtesy Ryan McNamara)
The High Line, beginning at Gansevoort St.
July 15-17, free, 7:30
www.art.thehighline.org
www.ryanmcnamara.com
On July 15, 1979, President James Earl Carter gave what became known as his Malaise Speech, in which he shook a finger at the American people and said, “I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy. I do not mean our political and civil liberties. . . . The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America.” Arizona-born, Brooklyn-based performance artist Ryan McNamara is using the thirty-fifth anniversary of Carter’s famous speech about energy overconsumption as the starting point of his latest immersive project, “Misty Malarky Ying Yang.” On July 15, 16, and 17, McNamara will begin a choreographed procession on the High Line, beginning at 7:30 pm at the south end at Gansevoort St. and heading north to West Thirtieth St., joined by other performers along the way. “President Carter’s speech is still relevant today, and ‘Misty Malarky Ying Yang’ will provide a stark contrast to the tone of the speech,” explained High Line Art director and curator Cecilia Alemani in a statement. Admission is free, and no advance RSVP is required. The questions Carter asked thirty-five years ago — including “Often you see paralysis and stagnation and drift. You don’t like it, and neither do I. What can we do?” — are still clearly relevant today. It should be fascinating to see how McNamara translates that on the High Line this week.