Pillow fight in Dublin anyone?

Rusty The Clown

The idea is simple and beautiful - International Pillow fight Day!

Some of you could see some pillow fighting on Grafton St. two years ago...I wasn't lucky enough then. This year I'd love to see Dublin joining this flash mob event and I need some help

If you think it's a worthy idea, it's possible to advertise it during next month (the date is Sat April 3rd) and have an idea which spot in Dublin would be the best, BRING THIS THREAD TO LIFE!

DubMedic

No, No, No, and NO.

Go do it somewhere where there is plenty of space, such as one of the nearby parks.

.

Rusty The Clown

Oh don't be sucha...
It's all about gathering as many people as possible, all ages sexes etc. to have some fun in this city!
This is about using this urban space, it was built for us.

BTW, I should read the webpage first and not call it 'flash mob'. Edited, left in tags only.

Wolflikeme

Rusty The Clown wrote: »

Oh don't be sucha...
It's all about gathering as many people as possible, all ages sexes etc. to have some fun in this city!
This is about using this urban space, it was built for us.

I'm pretty sure the urban space is being utilized as it should be - for shopping, walking, enjoying a coffee or a snack somewhere, open a business etc.

One of our goals is to make these unique happenings in public space become a significant part of popular culture, partially replacing passive, non-social, branded consumption experiences like watching television, and consciously rejecting the blight on our cities caused by the endless creep of advertising into public space. The result, we hope, will be a global community of participants, not consumers, in a world where people are constantly organizing and attending these happenings in every major city in the world.

It's just acting the bollox in a public place and disguising it as some kind of cause, however tenuous.

seanybiker

dont mind them other 2, its a fecking laugh. Go for it. hopefully loads turn us for it.

AnonoBoy

It'll all end in tears:

Seriously though - Grafton Street is not the place for it. Try Stephen's Green or that street up by the side of Stephen's Green Shopping Centre maybe.

stovelid

I assume that you only hit other pillow-types?

Call me a killjoy, but any unsolicited pillow blows on this unrepentant (and possibly hungover) grump will see your mates adding improvised head-first duck pond breast-stroke to their canon of fun activities reclaimed from the urban environment.

John Mason

absolutely no way and if someone tries to hit me with a pillow on grafton street, i will do them for assault.

if you have do it, do it in the phoenix park, where there is loads of space and you wont be getting in peoples way, is it not enough we have to deal with chuggers and now you want to add pillows in

Meeja Ireland

Wolflikeme wrote: »

It's just acting the bollox in a public place and disguising it as some kind of cause, however tenuous.

So true.

And what do all these twits have against television anyway? Television is great. If someone had invented it yesterday, these guys would be the first to proclaim it as the saviour of human life.

Ah, just goes to show Irish people as a generalisation are a bunch of curmudgeonly so and so's :P


Do it.

cosmic

Grafton Street is a bad idea. What if a stray pillow accidentaly hits a child or an elderly person? It's dangerous. Ok, I know a pillow in the face is nothing to you or me but to children or elderly people it would be. A nice idea alright, but not on Grafton Street. It'll all end in tears...

Jesus Wept

I'd be up for it if the two following things were applicable:

1. It was out of the way, not in a crowded area.

AND

2. If it wasn't filmed.


Neither of these two things are likely, especially the latter unfortunatly as the reason actual reason behind such an event is not so much to have fun doing it - but to splash it all over the internet and be viewed.

It's just attention seeking. Hey look at this on youtube, I'm in there - being maddddd, look at me, please. How many hits did it get? OMG flash mobs are hilarious. Look, at, me.

Rusty The Clown

1) I didn't say that it should be done on Grafton Street. I'm duno how did it go last time (any participants opinions?) and waiting for more interesting suggestions. Parks are boring for this kind of things, I (we?) want to prove that usually boring urban space can be a (peaceful, joyful and civilized) playground.

2) The rules are quite clear:
+ Soft pillows only!
+ Swing lightly, many people will be swinging at once.
+ Do not swing at people without pillows or with cameras.
+ Remove glasses beforehand!
+ The event is free and appropriate for all ages.
+ Wait until the signal to begin.
+ This event is more fun with feathers!

if someone doesn't like them, shouldn't come.

Miguel_Sanchez

Rusty The Clown wrote: »

if someone doesn't like them, shouldn't come.

I think people's point is that they don't have a choice about coming or not because you're holding it in a public space which other people will be using to go about their daily business.

Xavi6

irishbird wrote: »

if you have do it, do it in the phoenix park, where there is loads of space and you wont be getting in peoples way,

And there are plenty of pillow biters

projectmayhem

Stumbled across one of these in Amsterdam. It was in Dam Square, at the monument (wide open area so people participating were confined to their own group and spectators had plenty of room to watch without getting hit) and it was in aid of cancer charity, so it wasn't just a bunch of bored students roaming around with pillows. There was a rhyme and reason for it.

It went very well, and captured a lot of bystanders' attention (particularly since the Dam Square carnival thing was on).

The problem in Dublin is that we don't have such wide areas. Stephen's green is an option alright, but most of our streets are confined spaces where you're ultimately only going to get in peoples way.

WindSock

irishbird wrote: »

is it not enough we have to deal with chuggers and now you want to add pillows in

Go for the chuggers! Make sure you have plenty of shoes in your pillows first*.




*no, don't do that. I meant horseshoes.

filthymcnasty

feel free to gather your student mates and pummel each other but not grafton st/ anywhere in central dublin please as its a minefield the best of times with beggars, buskers , roma gypsies , charity muggers to avoid.
i suggest the playing fields in ballyfermot- nobody will mind ye there.

panda100

projectmayhem wrote: »

Stumbled across one of these in Amsterdam. It was in Dam Square, at the monument (wide open area so people participating were confined to their own group and spectators had plenty of room to watch without getting hit) and it was in aid of cancer charity, so it wasn't just a bunch of bored students roaming around with pillows. There was a rhyme and reason for it.

Cant the reason just be for fun? Why are we only allowed to have a bit of light relief in our lives when its in the name of cancer patients?

Op If you want a pillow fight go for it. I think the square beside the Jervis shopping centre would be perfect for it!

Dudess

Does anyone else find this Reclaim the Streets/flash mob/now pillow fight stuff excruciatingly tedious?

_blank_

Dudess wrote: »

Does anyone else find this Reclaim the Streets/flash mob/now pillow fight stuff excruciatingly tedious?

I think anyone who gets involved in these "zany" antics is an attention seeking idiot.

Don't public gatherings of a certain number need Garda Clearance?

lazlo

Meeja Ireland wrote: »

So true.

And what do all these twits have against television anyway? Television is great. If someone had invented it yesterday, these guys would be the first to proclaim it as the saviour of human life.

What a load of bollox. Television is absolutely horrible

bijapos

3 places spring to mind

1. Kildare St outside the Dail
2. Merrion St Upper, i.e. the other side of the Dail, not a lot of traffic on either of these on a Saturday
3. That cricket pitch in Trinity, anyone looking in from Nassau St can have a laugh too.

Question is who is going to clean up the mess afterwards. Bit unfair to get the council workers to do it.

stovelid

Dudess wrote: »

Does anyone else find this Reclaim the Streets/flash mob/now pillow fight stuff excruciatingly tedious?

Yes.

Though given the shit they will no doubt inflict on society when they grow up and become big noises in the arts, politics and banking, poncing around with a few pillows on public thoroughfares is probably innocent enough.

bijapos wrote: »

3. That cricket pitch in Trinity, anyone looking in from Nassau St can bring some ammo bags of bricks and bottles and have a laugh too.

Fixed that.

Dudess

And the way such initiatives are for "the good of everyone" who uses the urban space... I love how those involved feel they're speaking for the population.

This not very right-wing at all person - in fact a bit of a pinko - would rather gouge out her own eyes.

Also, why aren't such initiatives held in places like Sheriff Street?

_blank_

Dudess wrote: »

This not very right-wing at all person

lol. Understatement of the year.

Bit of a pinko?

:pac:

WindSock

They want to do it in a busy area to freak out more squares. Middle of O'Connell street would be better again. But dats de nart soide, yez mite get yor bleeedin heds knocked off yez.

Shania

Housebrick + pillowslip = win.

stovelid

WindSock wrote: »

They want to do it in a busy area to freak out more squares. Middle of O'Connell street would be better again. But dats de nart soide, yez mite get yor bleeedin heds knocked off yez.

But you could bump into the old pair on the south-side and that would be like, ALLOWANCE CUT and the old social frostage.

Decisions, decisions.

Maga

Hi everybody!

I think it's a really great idea!!!

Street festivals & events are so common in many cities, and they are not aiming at disturbing others or showing off for friends/camera. I think it's way more about a sense of community: a friendly public gathering for peaceful enjoyment. For free.

I can understand how those who are minding their own business wouldn't want to be disturbed, and I totally agree that we must choose a place that doesn't interfere with passers-by - yet at the same time is accessible to passers-by who would like to join and/or watch! And of course the people involved would have a commitment to cleaning up afterwards.



I think giving freedom and showing respect to the people around is a perfect combination!

It's a pity that we see the streets only as a place for shopping and working – it would be so nice to use them to make new friends, to see and join other people having fun and smiling!

Now, if we are talking about extreme street events, you can check La Tomatina, where people gather on the streets to throw loads of tomatoes on each others in the middle of the city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatina

In comparison, doesn't pillow fights seem very harmless??

I'd definitely join it!!

All the best,
Maga.

stovelid

Maga wrote: »

It's a pity that we see the streets only as a place for shopping and working

I like driving down them recklessly too. I have a Bentley carpeted in baby-seal fur.