Ruth E. Wittenberg Triangle, NYC, USA
New Poetry Jukebox installed in Greenwich Village. Inauguration taking place Tuesday, Oct 23, 2018, 5pm. No, it's not a disoriented submarine, nor a particularly excited exhaust pipe peeking from underneath the asphalt of Ruth E. Wittenberg triangle. It's a poetry jukebox, doing exactly as the name suggests: playing poetry on demand. You walk by, you press a button, you hear a poem. It’s strikingly simple and, well, kind of genius. You probably won't find “Hound dog” on its track list - but you might as well go for another dogged crowd pleaser, Ginsberg’s “Howl”! This is not the first installation of the ingenious concept into foreign territory. Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ireland, Scotland, Bulgaria, and Germany have all experienced the Jukebox, specifically designed to reflect the literary memory of its surroundings. Even New York City has one already: you might catch a glimpse of it in front of the Bowery Poetry Club, just around the corner from where the infamous CBGB once stood. Its grand opening in 2016 coincided with Allen Ginsberg’s 90th birthday anniversary, so it's no wonder its “tracks” feature a selection of 20 beat generation poems by Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso and others. And the new acquisition in Greenwich Village? Will it be the uncatchable flow of Frank O'Hara? Perhaps the ominous echo of a certain romantic amateur ornithologist? Come and listen for yourself! The new installation for passers-by of the triangle between 6th Ave and 8th Street will be inaugurated on Tuesday, Oct 23 2018 at 5pm with a live performance in the honorable presence of Hynek Kmoníček, the current Czech Republic Ambassador to the United States.
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