EVERYHERE. Lost Horizons Night Market
This summer, I spent four weeks traveling with EVERYHERE LOGISTICS. We co-created the Lost Horizons Night Market - a caravan of box trucks, each individually designed to present a unique participatory experience. Collaborating artists conceived, designed, built, and traveled more than 5000 miles with their mobile exhibits, delivering a one-of-a-kind experiential art installation to cities across the U.S.
MY ROLE: As part of the logistics team, I handled coordination of artist and supply transportation, as well as event set-up, staffing, and tear-down. I provided moral support and encouragement to tired and hungry artists throughout the tour, as well as participating in the event itself, and acting as supplementary staff wherever needed. I also agreed to observe, document, and write about my experience.
THE CHALLENGE: Coordination and logistics governing the movement of two separate teams of artists, traveling with more than twenty artistic exhibits, is no joke. Loss of the project coordinator just a few days prior to launch resulted in the withdrawal of two major donors, which added confusion, and left the project severely underfunded.
SUCCESSES: After realizing the above challenges, a meeting was gathered to discuss how to gracefully cancel the planned tour - however participants convinced staff that the project should carry on as planned, with the provision of several last-minute logistic and financial adjustments. These suggestions allowed the project to continue as planned - and turnout nationwide was an incredible success.
FIRSTS: This was a guerrilla-style event, with no advertising or marketing involved. Presented as a pop-up exhibit, the Lost Horizons Night Market was intentionally unexpected - and purposefully constructed in unusual, out-of-the-way locations. Attendance was limited to happenstance and word-of-mouth invitation, which made each presentation wholly unique and spontaneous (though requiring immense flexibility). Collaboration with local artists added familiarity with the local environment, and gave each individual event in the series a rare and personalized vibe.
LESSONS LEARNED: No matter how tight your logistical planning, a project of this magnitude involves many moving parts - and when traveling 5000 miles, things can (and will!) go wrong. A strong team, great attitude, and immense flexibility are essential - but a good night’s sleep and a solid breakfast are the two most valuable tools when wrangling a team of 20+ artists, cross-country.
I wrote quite a bit about this journey along the way. You can read a few posts, here - or learn more about the Lost Horizons Night Market.