"Those About to Die Salute You" Exhibition
at Queens Museum of Art
in the Queens area
This event has ended - (2009-08-13)
Despite the dreary evening last week, exuberance prevailed at the site of Duke Riley’s “Those About to Die Salute You,” where men, women, and children donned their togas and came to battle in one of the goriest food fights in Queens’ recent history. Inspired by Naumachia, in which Roman emperors forced prisoners to battle to the death in a flooded amphitheater, Riley flooded the World’s Fair fountains in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, packed the sidelines with rowdy masses, and blasted Michael Jackson. As the first tomatoes began to fly, boats constructed out of hay, T-shirts, and cardboard made their way to the battlefield manned by representatives from the Queens Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and El Museo del Barrio. Few were left untouched by the ensuing fight. As the ketchup bottles and watermelon cannons were just beginning to run out, the battle ended with a bang when the losing ship burst into flames and fireworks. Quite the spectacle and a much-needed party for recession-weary New Yorkers.
t-jack
2009-08-21
great article thanks!
cody
2009-08-21
yeah, it definitely did the trick! i wasn’t thinking about the economy or the impending apocalypse at all during this. dodging the nearby bottle of ketchup was a much higher priority. great photos! i like the flames at the end.
natalie
2009-08-21
great shots! i want to pinch that butt.
jen
2009-08-25
mandatory togas = awesome. love the photos!