Tuesday, September 29, 2009
For those of you who have never heard of a Flash Mob, or Mass Freeze, whose popularity is often credited to Improv Everywhere , let me fill you in. First, a Flash Mob is when a large group of people come together suddenly in a crowded place, do a synchronized unusual action for short period of time, and then quickly leave the scene, all the while staying 'in character.' Lately the popular manifestation of this is Mass Freeze, in which as large a group of people converge at a crowded location and at a specified time, freeze in the middle of whatever they were doing: drinking coffee, talking on the phone, scratching their head, picking up something they dropped, ect. They stay frozen for exactly 5 minutes, and then they all unfreeze simultaneously continue whatever they were doing as if nothing had happened.
This short youtube video will give you a better idea, its about a popular Mass Freeze done in Grand Central Station a few years ago ---->
Several of these Mass Freezes were organized in Montreal over the past year, and I kept getting the invites, but could never make it, due to work, school, or club obligations, which was really disappointing. So when I heard last week one was being organized in Seoul, I got very excited! Even better it was happening on Saturday, while Saeko was here!
It was taking place at COEX Mall, an underground shopping mall located on the East side of the city. Its actually the largest mall in Asia. Saeko and I arrived at the meeting place and time above ground. We were close to 200 mostly white anglophone foreigners. The organizer explained to us that we were doing the freeze in the food court below our feet in an hour, and reminded us some guidelines to keep it successful, such as staying in character after the freeze ended, wisely picking a pose not too difficult to hold for 5 minutes, ect.
Anyways, for a first freeze for the organizers (and for Saeko and I) the event went pretty well. So many Koreans were walking dumbfounded around the food court trying to figure out what the hell was going on, taking pictures and posing with some of the "frozen" foreigners, and security seemed to be a little unnerved. There are several youtube videos to be found on youtube, but this is the best one:
Unfortunately the person didn't move around to where Saeko and I were frozen, so we're not in the video, but we were there! Enjoy the video, and if you like the idea, keep your ears peeled for a Mass Freeze in your area (or organize one!)
Labels: Bishop's reunion, COEX Mall, Flash Mob, Improv Everywhere, Mass Freeze
Anyway- it was so cool to see this! I had heard of this, but never had seen one before... but it was really fun to do. I hope one happens in Rapid City, but the area is REALLY conservative and backward, so I won't hold my breath!