I get a case and after a few minutes a girl with a walkie-talkie tells us it’s time to move to our fight location.
We walk a couple blocks to a busy intersection (It’s Friday, downtown, rush hour). There are already a lot of people gathered. We’re fighting the Roman Army?
They don’t seem to have pillows. They have a catapult of stuffed animals and some guys in a pick up truck have a guillotine and a couple dummies surely to be used for some sort of effigy
I have no clue what is going on. The leader chick blows her whistle and declares it fight time. Everyone with pillows starts beating the hell out of each other. The Roman Army is on the sidewalk so we don’t have much room to fight and spill out into the street. The traffic cop yells at us to get back on the damn sidewalk. We hear sirens coming our way. I get hit from the side with something wet and smelly.
We stop and get back up on the sidewalk. Pillow fighting takes a lot of energy. My hair, shirt and jacket are covered in red glitter and water. I’ve been hit. For some reason it smells kind of nice. After some guillotining and catapulting and the Roman Army yelling and a small band playing, we leave for a less crowded area.
By this time some people from Critical Mass have joined us.
Bikes, Roman Army, pillow fighters and assorted others parade down the street until we get to a loading dock with a gravel alley. We continue the pillow fight there. Some cyclists stop and join us and watch Rat Patrollers joust on their tall bikes. Looks painful but fun, in sort of a Jackass way.
Eventually the crowd breaks up and the cyclists go on with the Mass. Today my roommate asked why the tub was all red and shiny.
This is what I get for responding to things on CraigsList.
Upon more searching today, I found an article in TimeOut Chicago that says
…when the Pillow Fight Club takes part in the first Carnival of Art on the River, an alternative arts festival outside the Merchandise Mart timed to coincide with the opening night of ARTropolis.
Also some mentions of ARTWAR but I can’t find a website for them.
The ArtWar/Romans were lead by a group of editors of the magazine Lumpen as well as the organisers of the arts festival Version. Here’s their website:
http://www.lumpen.com/VERSION7/index.html
Also, the “water”-balloons were compliments of the Terryists of Terry Plumbing, I have no idea what they contained.
The Pillow Fight Club usually meets at the old water tower park on the corner of Michigan Ave. and Chicago Ave. We’re thinking pirate themed fight, but no ArtWar this time. Let us know if you want to come, we’ll update you on the date/time.
-Heather
I would do it again!
I’m on the pillow fight myspace list, so if the next meet up is posted there I will be in-the-know.
Su!
You’re coming to the big fight on Saturday, right?!
2:00pm March 22nd in front of the Art Institute.
BYOP!!