The K.I.D.S.
The Kindness and Imagination Development Society
We were all kids once. Deep down we all remain kids. We are looking to bring out the good intentions and creativity of childhood in the daily life of adults. This seems to be the only way we can even hope to be happy or to begin solving the problems of life.
The K.I.D.S. is a group for people committed to developing (or redeveloping) their childhood selves. Not so much in the sense of being immature and irresponsible (although that has its definite place), but in the sense of approaching life with a sense of wonder, with boundless energy and interest. The group focuses on the interests and ideas of the members, using our hopes, dreams and skills to change the world, one day at a time.
The K.I.D.S. has played a part in most of the projects on this web page, in one way or another. We believe that at the most basic level, The K.I.D.S. has always existed, and always will. It is going on all around us - cooperation, play, moments of transcendence, gaps bridged between strangers. The K.I.D.S. wants to celebrate that, and do all we can to foster more of it.
Whether you like it or not, you are one of us. Bear with us for a moment. Try to remember what it felt like when you were a kid, and you met some other, unfamiliar kids somewhere – when you were on vacation out of town, perhaps – and think of the way you got to know each other by playing together. This is the energy that the K.I.D.S. is always trying to get back, in the midst of our busy, distracted, alienating adult lives: the power of play. We want to find and reuse that power before it is lost to us forever. It is urgent and vital, in the ongoing constellation of political, social, familial, personal, economic, public health, environmental and cultural crises, that we all remember this power, use it, reuse it, and never, never, never forget it.
Got that? Good.
The K.I.D.S. is currently working on some projects in the Bronx. We want to build a fort somewhere on the streets near the Bronx Museum, use it for awhile, and then destroy it. We had some meetings at the BBBP Blanket Fort in Blanka's bedroom space in Mott Haven. You can find out more about the bedroom here. These were the meetings so far:
➢ Wednesday, April 2nd, 5-8:30 p.m. ~ The Culture Trolley Highjack Hijinks
➢ Saturday, April 5th, 2-5 p.m. ~ Le Vernissage Incognito Game
➢ Mondays, April 7th, 14th & 21st, 12-3 p.m. ~ Call in Sick Mondays
The meetings were fun. We had a great reminiscing session at Le Vernissage Incognito, about all the incredible variety of forts and structures different K.I.D.s had built in their lives. Underground tunnel forts, snow forts, tree forts, bedroom forts, umbrella forts, couch cushion forts... you name it. The fort thing... what's it all about? We waxed philosophical for quite a while.
At one of the "Call in Sick Mondays" we released some K.I.D.S. membership cards attached to balloons out the window of the fort onto the street. One mysterious K.I.D., who went by many names, picked up a balloon and came upstairs to check out the fort and play for a while. He walked up the stairs to the third floor in his roller blades. Then he came back for the snack-a-thon/fort demolition party we had the following week and brought his friend. We got a bunch of good food at the West African Market around the corner, including delicious pillow bread (appropriately named) and salted fish. More meetings will be taking place around the Bronx in the coming months. Emcee C.M.'s tricycle is currently parked at the Bronx Museum for the AIM 28 show, so that is kind of the point of origin for upcoming explorations... If you want to hang out up there get in touch.
The K.I.D.S. is a group for people committed to developing (or redeveloping) their childhood selves. Not so much in the sense of being immature and irresponsible (although that has its definite place), but in the sense of approaching life with a sense of wonder, with boundless energy and interest. The group focuses on the interests and ideas of the members, using our hopes, dreams and skills to change the world, one day at a time.
The K.I.D.S. has played a part in most of the projects on this web page, in one way or another. We believe that at the most basic level, The K.I.D.S. has always existed, and always will. It is going on all around us - cooperation, play, moments of transcendence, gaps bridged between strangers. The K.I.D.S. wants to celebrate that, and do all we can to foster more of it.
Whether you like it or not, you are one of us. Bear with us for a moment. Try to remember what it felt like when you were a kid, and you met some other, unfamiliar kids somewhere – when you were on vacation out of town, perhaps – and think of the way you got to know each other by playing together. This is the energy that the K.I.D.S. is always trying to get back, in the midst of our busy, distracted, alienating adult lives: the power of play. We want to find and reuse that power before it is lost to us forever. It is urgent and vital, in the ongoing constellation of political, social, familial, personal, economic, public health, environmental and cultural crises, that we all remember this power, use it, reuse it, and never, never, never forget it.
Got that? Good.
The K.I.D.S. is currently working on some projects in the Bronx. We want to build a fort somewhere on the streets near the Bronx Museum, use it for awhile, and then destroy it. We had some meetings at the BBBP Blanket Fort in Blanka's bedroom space in Mott Haven. You can find out more about the bedroom here. These were the meetings so far:
➢ Wednesday, April 2nd, 5-8:30 p.m. ~ The Culture Trolley Highjack Hijinks
➢ Saturday, April 5th, 2-5 p.m. ~ Le Vernissage Incognito Game
➢ Mondays, April 7th, 14th & 21st, 12-3 p.m. ~ Call in Sick Mondays
The meetings were fun. We had a great reminiscing session at Le Vernissage Incognito, about all the incredible variety of forts and structures different K.I.D.s had built in their lives. Underground tunnel forts, snow forts, tree forts, bedroom forts, umbrella forts, couch cushion forts... you name it. The fort thing... what's it all about? We waxed philosophical for quite a while.
At one of the "Call in Sick Mondays" we released some K.I.D.S. membership cards attached to balloons out the window of the fort onto the street. One mysterious K.I.D., who went by many names, picked up a balloon and came upstairs to check out the fort and play for a while. He walked up the stairs to the third floor in his roller blades. Then he came back for the snack-a-thon/fort demolition party we had the following week and brought his friend. We got a bunch of good food at the West African Market around the corner, including delicious pillow bread (appropriately named) and salted fish. More meetings will be taking place around the Bronx in the coming months. Emcee C.M.'s tricycle is currently parked at the Bronx Museum for the AIM 28 show, so that is kind of the point of origin for upcoming explorations... If you want to hang out up there get in touch.