An epic re-jiggering of humanity is upon us. In this moment of transformation and transcendence (literally “The End of Days”), 3,000 pioneers of a new era gather in a remote former air base deep in Brooklyn to celebrate our evolution towards this moment, and to join forces to create a more perfect world. Together, we will build a model of utopia for the last of our kind, opening our arms to the diversity of post-human life and creating a new world in our image.

As the final 3,000 souls left on this planet, we ask ourselves: are we human or post-human? Granted the ability to create our own forms, what can we learn from our evolution to this point in time…and how can we evolve into a more perfect future?

Also, the Decom Town Hall meeting is Thursday September 18 8pm at the atrium at 590 Madison Avenue between 56th and 57th.

== In The Beginning… ==

Small NYC Decompressions parties go back to pre-2001.  The details seem to have been lost to the mists of time, but I’m sure some folks on the list remember them and can recall memories about how intimate and casual they were.

The first large-scale New York City Decompression took place on November 17, 2001 at a now-fabled location called the Lunatarium.  It was an 18,000 square foot loft located on the top floor of 10 Jay St
in Dumbo.  The second Decompression was also held there.  I never got to see either of these, and have had to listen to endless stories about their magnificence.  Winkel, one of Lunatarium’s founders,
claims to have cried after the 2001 Decompression because it was so amazing.  Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors including legal, safety and money problems (watch for a developing pattern!) the
Lunatarium was closed for good as a venue shortly thereafter.  (The space has since been divided into many smaller units.  It is gone forever.)

2003 brought Decompression to The Space, an art studio complex in Long Island City.  It worked well, but its indoor space was undersized compared to the Lunatarium and luckily it did not rain.

2004 was very nearly a Coney Island Decompression, but a confluence of last minute problems involving permits and money forced the event to move to the (now defunct) Spirit nightclub for a Sunday night.

In 2005 we held Psyche’s Sideshow at one of the warehouses in the Brooklyn Sugar complex in Williamsburg, where we experienced yet more problems with permits, the police and neighbors.  (Anyone remember the “no yelling on the roof” announcements?)

In 2006 we Fearlessly took over the 3rd Ward art workshop building. 3rd Ward seemed like the perfect solution… a huge rooftop (which we moved many thousands of pounds of carpet tile up two flights of stairs for), a big open floor with a couple of divisions perfect for dancing and bands, and a ground level floor with many smaller rooms.
Unfortunately, Decom was caught in the middle of a good old fashioned neighborhood real estate war and the NYPD Vice Squad swooped in at 4:05am, arresting several staff and attendees.  (Like the Lunatarium, the big open third floor has since been divided into smaller spaces. I think the carpet tiles are still up on the roof though.)

== Challenges and a New Direction ==

Following several years of permit frustrations and problems with police, we resolved to never again hold Decompression at a venue of questionable legality.  Leading a team of uniformed vice squad police through 3rd Ward in the wee hours of the morning was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life.  I was not going to give up on Decompression, but I was also not willing to risk having the event shut down or community members being put in jail again.  (For those of
you who were at NYE 2008 year, please note that this promise applies only to Decompression.)

The 2007 venue search was one of the greatest challenges I’ve ever experienced.  Since the heady days of millennial fever in the late 90s and early 2000s, the city has grown far more conservative with regards to nightlife.  Neighborhoods which used to be safe for all-night wild revelry and cheap enough for experimental art and communities now abound with luxury residences. September 11 2001 introduced a general climate of paranoia and made any action of the NYPD unquestionable for
several years.  The number of nightclubs and venues in the city has dwindled, as property values have risen and formerly wayward neighborhoods are now the sites of luxury residences and retail
stores.  (Please contact your city council representative and complain about the Cabaret Law if you do not like this.  It takes five minutes to call their office and make your voice heard.)

Most of the venues that can legally accommodate 2,000 people or more simultaneously are either set up as theaters and thus not very workable for multimedia arts events, or are far too expensive for us,
or both.  So, in order to find a home for Decompression that met our capacity and layout needs, had no neighbors to bother and was unquestionably legal, I had to think creatively.  The path eventually
led to the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Along the way, many people told me that it was a terrible mistake, and there were certainly times when I questioned what I was doing.  But thanks to a couple of prominent QMA staff members who had been to Burning Man, and a willingness on the part of the museum’s management to take some risks, we were able to come to an agreement with them.

The QMA was a challenging venue in ways we were not so used to.  The outside space had to be separately coordinated with the Department of Parks & Recreation, which was no small task.  The interior of the museum was chock full of with restrictions on what could go where, how bright the lighting could be, and other gotchas.  But ultimately, we pulled it off.  We featured more art than any previous NYC Decompression, and the museum loved us.  The Burning Man org was also
impressed with our region’s ability to successfully partner with a fine arts institution while retaining our integrity.

But… as fate would have it, the Queens Museum was about to start renovations, and will not be available for us again until 2011.  So we had to hit the road again.

== 2008 ==

In the last year, I have considered, contacted and negotiated with dozens of potential venues.  City armories owned by the military, automotive education facilities in Queens, Roosevelt Island, wedding
halls, the USS Intrepid, any and every kind of museum in the city, a deliriously large nightclub in Jamaica, Queens, film shoot studios and warehouses, parks… It has taken from February until last weekend to fully explore our options.  Two venues aside, everywhere was either already booked, too expensive, too sketchy, too small, too shy for our culture, too slow at returning phone calls or had other logistical impediments.

The two contenders that seemed viable were Aviator Sports and the Water Taxi Beach.  The Water Taxi Beach management was willing to be very generous to us and was very enthusiastic about hosting
Decompression.  They routinely host large events.  But it had two major drawbacks: one, it is surrounded by residential buildings. Second, it has no indoor space at all.  So the twin menaces of sound complaints and rain could have easily caused a major problem. (Renting tents for an event of this size would have cost a fortune, and we still would have been limited as to the kinds of art we could have.)

After discussion with the NYC regionals and $teven Ra$pa, Aviator Sports was selected.

Aviator Sports is a sports complex housed inside two airplane hangars in Floyd Bennett Field.  Floyd Bennett Field is a decommissioned military base and former municipal airport in Brooklyn where Flatbush Avenue meets the ends of the earth.  It is owned by the National Park Service.  Aviator Sports is a privately owned business which leases its space from the National Park Service.
They have about 25,000 floor-usable indoor square feet for us, and a 100,000 square foot tarmac lot.  The indoor space is divided up into two major areas with sound separation, and a bar/lounge area and two indoor turf fields.  The tarmac lot is huge and featureless, giving it a deep playa feel.  We may be able to use bicycles out there!  The venue has already agreed in writing to let us use fire, so as long as
it is supervised and permitted by the FDNY.  They also have two ice skating rinks, which we are not renting, but you can use at additional cost.  There’s also a crazy gymnastics room with padded floors and a foam pit, which we were unable to secure for our event.  Maybe next year.

Like the Black Rock desert, Floyd Bennett Field is a bit remote. However, considering that Burning Man is 2,500 miles from NYC and that the NYC Container was in Jersey City this year, this should not be a
problem.  I have been there several times on public transportation and it takes about an hour to get there from downtown Brooklyn or the Financial District.  There is an MTA bus that runs to its doorstep. There is unlimited free parking.  A car service from the end of the 2 train line is about $12.  A car service all the way back to Dumbo cost me $25.  The Decom team is investigating running shuttle busses from a parking lot near the end of the train line.  Somehow, you will make it to Floyd Bennett Field, and it won’t be as difficult as you think.

Like any venue we have ever used, there will be some speedbumps and surprises.  For all of Aviator’s strengths, there are bound to be some weaknesses too.  I can’t tell you what they are yet, but trust me, we’ll run into them.  What I ask of all of you is to be understanding with myself and the Decom team.  We have done the very best we can to find a home for Decompression, and we cannot please all of the people all of the time.  Finding a venue for an event of this nature and size is extremely difficult, and we do it all without a huge wad of cash or corporate sponsors.  (The money we have in the bank is significant, but does not qualify as a “huge wad of cash” by NYC standards for events of this size.)

New York City is not Black Rock City and if you approach Decompression with the same expectations you have for Burning Man, you are bound to be disappointed.  If you are determined to participate and make the best of whatever Decom will be, you are bound to walk away with a smile on your face, a container-load of special memories and many new friends.

There will be more announcements very soon.  Please start thinking of how you would like to contribute to Decompression… help on the planning team, volunteer day-of, stage a performance, build a sculpture, the possibilities are endless.

Now that the venue is secured, I am stepping back from Decom this year and will not be the production manager as I have been for the last two years.  Please do not email me personally with Decompression questions.  Do email me directly (not just the list) if you would like me to read your reply.
Sincerely,

Kevin Balktick
Your humble (ha!) Decompression venue scout