Underwater New York launched on October 7th, 2009 aboard a once sunken ship, now docked in the Hudson River: The Lightship Frying Pan.   We took over the rusty, barnacled boat with an evening of performances of original work created for the project, including a reading by Ben Greenman, sketch comedy by Alex Scordelis  and Chris Schell of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, art by  Mary Mattingly and Nura Qureshi, musical performances by Supergood! and  Lawrence Kim & His Boss, and Michael Hearst Underwater: a Songs for (Underwater) Ice Cream Trucks installation. Nautical music was spun by DJ Dan Selzer, who also made an underwater audio montage of authors reading excerpts from fiction written for the project, which leaked from a hidden speaker into one of The Frying Pan’s creaky cabins. 

Photo by Adrian Kinloch

Listen to the audio montage here: 

Lawrence Kim and His Boss perform an original song written for Underwater New York. Editor Helen Georgas describes the objects - 1600 bars of silver, and Coney Island Dreamland, that inspired this song.

Ben Greenman reads his story, "Wet Work," which was inspired by the object "bodies," and is set on a party lightship much like the Lightship Frying Pan, site of the UNY launch.

Supergood! performs "Booty of the Deep," an original song written for Underwater New York.