The Denver Arts Commission is excited to announce a participatory public art performance piece by Jon Rubin and Lee Walton called Solitary City Walks. For 24 hours straight, one person at a time will take a casual stroll down the middle of the densest streets of Denver with a police escort clearing traffic to allow for open, uninterrupted passage.

Its like a 24 hour parade, one person at a time. Viewers on the sidewalks, in restaurants, and shops will witness an unusual orchestration between police, the walker, and traffic, all working in concert to create a quite pause that moves in a loop through the city.  Solitary City Walks creates a unusual spectacle that temporarily slows down time to recognize the rhythms of the city and its ordinary citizens.

The artists are looking for approximately 75 people to sign up to take the solitary walk over the duration of 24 consecutive hours. The walk will follow a two-mile route through the busiest parts of downtown Denver. For each participant it will be an opportunity to experience the city from a unique perspective, as if, for a little while, the city is his or her own.

Participation is open to the public and the artists are looking to include a diverse cross-section of the city’s population. To sign up to participate in the project email info@solitarycitywalks.com or go to www.solitarycitywalks.com and apply to participate.

When applying, participants must provide the most optimal time of morning/night to walk. The project is a 24-hour marathon – a single person will be walking at all times. The artists will notify selected participants by August 7th.

If selected:
1. Walkers must arrive at starting location 30 minutes prior to walk.  If late, a replacement will be scheduled to take the walk in your place.
2. Walkers must wear regular everyday attire.
3. Walkers must be silent and self-contained during the walk—as if walking alone in the woods. (No taking photos, video, cell phones, waving to on-lookers, protesting, or advertising).
4. Walkers must walk down the absolute middle of the street.
5. Walkers must stroll at a leisurely pace.
6. Walkers must walk alone.
7. Walkers must complete the 1 mile stretch agreed upon.  If special assistance is needed to make the walk please specify ahead of time.

To summarize, walkers must simply walk.

Participation is open to the public and the artists are looking to include a diverse cross-section of the city’s population. To sign up to participate in the project please fill out the form below. Be sure to indicate when you would like to do your walk. Remember this is a 24 hour event and prime time slots will fill up fast.

Solitary City Walks starts at 8pm on Friday September 17th and goes straight until 8pm Saturday September 18th

(CLICK ON MAPS FOR DETAIL VIEW)

Solitary City Walks is a project by Jon Rubin and Lee Walton.

Jon Rubin is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work explores the social dynamics of public spaces and the lives of ordinary individuals. His projects include creating a game show for ideas, operating a radio station that only plays the sound of an extinct bird, opening a fake store in an indoor shopping mall, and running a take-out restaurant that only serves food from countries the United States is in conflict with. He has exhibited nationally and internationally including at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico, The Rooseum, Sweden, as well as in backyards, living rooms, and street corners. He has received numerous national public art commissions, fellowships, residencies and awards. Rubin is an Associate Professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon University. His work can be viewed at www.jonrubin.net

Often regarded as an Experientialist, Lee Walton’s work takes many forms from drawing, performance, net art, video, public art and more. His public art is often situational and involves collaboration with numerous participants. Walton has exhibited and created projects for museums and institutions both nationally and internationally, including the Reykjavik Art Museum of Iceland, ICA Boston, Art in General (NY), Powerplant Gallery, and more .   His work is in collections such as the  Martin Z. Margulies Wharehouse , the Knoxeville Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Walton is an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His work can be viewed at www.leewalton.com.

The mission of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) is to advance the arts and culture in the City and County of Denver.