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On Sunday Evening in the middle of Tompkins Square Park New York CityIn the East Village, hundreds of people gather in front of a giant papier-mache face of a woman wearing a crown. It is a theatrical backdrop, its body composed of drapes that resemble a dress but serve a dual purpose, allowing the actors to dart on and off the stage.
I’m here to watch a show called “Luddite Recreation, a history of the Luddite movement—a group of artisans and textile workers who resisted the adoption of machinery during the early years of the Industrial Revolution in England and whose resistance to being removed from their work was met with violence by the British monarchy.
It is one of the inaugural events of the Summer of Lud, a week-long series of talks and activities such as How to flirt and date offlinerepair, and learn Fighting data centersall focused on getting people off their phones and integrating into society.
Photo: Vittoria Elliott
Everything is clearly handmade, giving it the energy of high school production (for free). On one side sits a small orchestra conducted by people dressed in pride. Behind them, there’s a table with 10 different tomes covering everything from how to do it Get off Spotify To a turn Surveillance technology in schools to “why Jinai disgusting.”
Events will continue through July 5, with most of the main segments centered in Tompkins Square Park. (There will be a cookout at the beach on July 4, as well as events at nearby locations in the East Village.)
At the beginning of the play, the actor playing Lord Byron, the famous British poet who supported the Luddite movement, tells the audience of about 300 the rules of the week: Be present, and absolutely no phones, recording or taking photos.
None of the week’s events, including the play, are announced online. Posters in the neighborhood advertise the Summer of Luddite, declaring “Only in Real Life!”, and brochures containing the schedule of the week’s events have been placed in community spaces throughout the area.
I learned about the event in a serendipitous way offline. Earlier in June, I was with a friend in the East Village, and we got caught in a heavy summer rain. While I was waiting for it at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, a small place that documents the history of activism in the neighborhood, I found the brochure summarizing the events of Loud’s summer among many other magazines, posters, and fliers. And there I was, my phone put away, my notebook, and the play bill in my hand.
