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WHERE TOPOGRAPHY MEETS TYPOGRAPHY
Project City Drawings (2009-2015), where drawings are made by cities, is a comparative study in urban topology and an investigation in historical geo-social town planning, building, communication and transportation. The trajectory of each drawing examines city’s connectivity through traffic patterns, following the structure and shape of their streets. Delineating the same number with paths of equal lengths, the project stipulated an equal comparability for every city. The shapes of two numbers, 5 and 9, allow an adequate investigation of different city models, based on grid, ring, or sector, revealing their structures, unique character, physical and wireless connectivity. City Drawings were first made using the pioneer tracking software, Instamapper (closed in 2012) on Boost mobile phone. The project continued with the applicaion EveryTrail (2012 -2014/shut down suddenly when bought out) on iPhone 5. The City Drawings were completed with the tracking software provided by ViewRanger.com.
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1. NEW YORK
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The first drawing was made as an interactive performance, part of the Interrupted Correspondence event organized by Five Years Art Collective in London. On 10/30/2009 Irina Danilova and David Ross drove around Manhattan and Brooklyn (Hiram Levy was monitoring from Princeton). Participants in London were invited to follow the online live tracking, during the drawing of the digit 5 in Manhattan. When the London event was over, the car relocated to Brooklyn and continued drawing number 9. While utilizing the difference in the transatlantic time, the drawing started at 8:43am at the corner of Greenwich and Watts street and finished the number 5 in Manhattan along 59th street, foreshadowing the complete correspondence that was at that time interrupted. Drawing of number 9 finished at 12:23pm in Brooklyn on Fulton Street at Classon Avenue. Manhattan is a place to visit. Brooklyn is a place to live and work. Ratio 5:9.
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2. MIAMI & MIAMI BEACH
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After the New York performance, we became curious about what shape the number 59 would take in other cities. Later drawings were done during various random trips, except for the performance in Miami in 2009, at the time of the Art Basel Miami. Going through the traffic and crowds of Art Basel Miami, the city drawings were made between flights in and out as an undercover artwork and were the only connection to the art scene there. Basel Miami events were purposely not visited. What do Miami and New York City have in common? They both have multiple 59th streets and for a week in December Miami becomes the center of world art. Irina Danilova drove while Hiram Levy tracked and navigated the car’s movement from Princeton. The December 5th performance started at 5:25pm at the corner of N. Kendall Drive and SW 86 Street and ended at 8:11pm at the corner of Andalusia and SW 37th Ave. The December 6th performance started at 8:45 am at the intersection of SW 87 Ave. with SW 72nd St. and ended at 11:20 am on US I95 above NW 19th St. After the discovery of a set of 59th streets in Miami, the decision was made to start/finish future drawings on 59th St, if possible.
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3. SAN FRANCISCO
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San Francisco has a year round probability of the best (coolest) weather: 59 degrees, along with numerous possibilities of 59 feet elevation. The Beatitude magazine was founded there in 1959. On December 12th, 2009 Ruthie Ayzenberg drove and Irina Danilova navigated. Trudy Levy and Mike Gutman tracked the car from San Jose. It started at 11:55am from the Pacific Ocean at the beginning of John Daly Blvd, and finished at 3:24pm on Monterey Blvd at Southern Hwy. Mount Davidson was climbed (unexpectedly for the car’s old brakes and for Mike Gutman who lived there in the 70's). Such legendary places as the Castro (59 feet elevation at Harrison Street and Treat Ave), Fisherman's Wharf, and Geary Blvd (59 feet elevation between 10th and 9th streets) were passed. Ruthie drove near San Francisco State University where she had a final exam that morning.
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4. LOS ANGELES
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“Los Angeles is the New York City of the west” (Steve Fels). NYC Pier 59 Studio has a parallel office in Santa Monica. Both world records of 59 seconds in men’s 100 meters butterfly were made in Los Angeles (by Fred Schmidt and Lance Larson). The LA drawing was made on December 23rd, 2009 by Ignat and Ruthie Ayzenberg (driving and navigating). Irina Danilova was tracking online from Brooklyn. It started at 10:35 am on W. Manchester Blvd. at S. Oak Street (elevation 59 feet) and finished at 2:10pm at E. 59th Street. 1959 was the Golden Age for Hollywood (“Some Like it Hot”, “North by Northwest”, “Ben-Hur”, “Anatomy of a Murder”, “Tiger Bay”, “Sleeping Beauty”) and the year LA acquired its first sister cities: Eilat (Israel) and Nagoya (Japan). This trip was 76 miles long. Ignat suggested that figures be made 59 miles in length next time.
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5. CLEVELAND
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Cleveland lies 59 miles west of the Ohio border with Pennsylvania. Elevation in many places around Cleveland is 590-599 feet. Industrial Cleveland peaked in 1959. When Clevelander Lena Lidsky was asked how number 59 can be significant for her city, “59 inches of snow” – was her answer. The City Drawing performance of 01.08.10 was canceled due to a heavy snow storm. The ground was covered with 59 cm of snow. A 59 inch ice cone was hanging from a roof. Irina Danilova’s “MetLife” (climbing 59 floors) was first screened in Cleveland in 1995 during The Cleveland International Performance Art Festival. Next year her performance “Route 59” was realized: 59 passengers (including a team of cardboard football players #59) in bus number 59, traveled at 59 km/hr from Ravenna to Akron, along Ohio Route 59. Drawing was made on 01.10.10. Lena Lidsky was driving her family car with Irina Danilova navigating.
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6. HOUSTON
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Houston is the only big city on US 59 from Laredo (Mexico) to Winnipeg (Canada). The City Drawing performance in Houston was made on February 20, 2010. It started at 5:54:05pm on US 59 at West Loop Fwy and finished at 7:19:59pm just before the intersection of Gulf Fwy with US 59. Hiram Levy was driving, Irina Danilova was navigating and the computer was tracking the route from the hotel room. |
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7. CHICAGO
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The Chicago drawing took 2 days due to a sudden loss of signal while finishing number 9. On June 27th Irina Danilova was driving with Yelena Lidsky navigating and Hiram Levy tracking from Toddy Pond, Maine. The Chicago trip started at 8pm on W 59th Street at S. Hadam Av. and stopped at 11:59 pm at South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and E. 37th street. The next day Irina finished this drawing on W. 59th Street and South Campbell Ave. with an artist from Chicago and one of the finalists of the 59 Seconds Video Festival, Dubi Kaufmann. Chicago's area is almost 590 square kilometers and the average elevation is 597ft. |
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8. MINNEAPOLIS
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Hiram drove alone on July 23, 2010. Irina Danilova navigated and tracked from Brooklyn. It started on W. 59 Street at 7pm. 59 miles and 59 turns later, it finished at 9pm at South Mississippi River Blvd. Minneapolis is (almost) 59 square miles and the Minneapolis Days Inn Mall Of America/Airport hotel had, at the time of the drawing, 59 reviews on TripAdvisor. There is also the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59.
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9. PERTH
Australia
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The drawing in Perth was done in two days. Number 5 was drawn on August 19th and number 9 on August 20th. Aleksey Danilov was driving his car while Irina Danilova was navigating. Renata Smenda with Orion and Watu were tracking from home in Hilton, WA. Renata’s i-phone was used as the tracking device. The beginning of the 5 was just a few blocks away from the UWA Fencing Club and the beginning of number 9 just next to ECU Fencing Club. Aleksey, a ranked fencer, was affiliated with both clubs. In December and January in Perth the average low temperature is 59 degrees and there are 359 sunshine hours in each month. 59 Seconds Video Festival was first screened in Perth in January, 2007. |
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10. EKATERINBURG
Russia
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The Ekaterinburg Drawing was made during The First Ural Industrial Biennale of Contemporary Art, on September 12, 2010, with the participation of Darya Kostina and Polina Lapteva, two young art historians. Polina Lapteva drove her metallic grey Toyota RAF4, while Irina Danilova and Darya Kostina navigated (using Polina’s i-phone). The trip started at 1:15pm, not far from one of the Biennale’s spaces: Worsted Factory, and finished at 4:31 pm not far from another Biennale’s space, one of Ekaterinburg’s biggest industrial complex’s - Uralmash. As Darya Kostina pointed out, there were 59 projects at the main program of The Bienniale on Lenin Street (passed by at 1:59 pm, while drawing the top of number 5). Fire distinguisher #59 was discovered at the entrance of the project space at Worsted Factory.
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11. WASHINGTON DC & Metro Area
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Washington, D.C. has 159 sq km of land (excluding water). 59 foreign embassies are located on a section of Massachusetts Avenue informally known as Embassy Row. The Washington DC City Drawing was made on November 26, 2010 (Black Friday), when resident population of Washington was 599,659 Drawing started at 9:45am in Arlington, VA and finished at 13:59pm on East Capital Street, above Lincoln Park (59 ft elevation). Hiram Levy drove with Irina Danilova navigating and Joshua Levy tracking from his and his wife Darcy's residence in Vienna, VA. The trip was modified to pass by the 59th Ave and Café 59 (discovered by Joshua Levy).
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12. TULSA
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On April 23, 2011 city drawing in Tulsa started at the intersection of Creek Turnpike and Okmulgee Bee Line Expressway at 15:37 and finished at 18:36 on East 91st street, just before the intersection with Sheridan Rd. The 59 mile trip took 2 hours and 59 minutes. Hiram Levy drove with Irina Danilova navigating. Hiram’s friend Susan Dunlap Kasibhatla, who was born and raised in Tulsa, was following on-line from Durham, North Carolina. When the lower part of the 5 was drawn, Susan noticed that it went between her old school and old family home. Hiram and Irina visited both. The drawing of number 5 was modified to visit one of several short 59th streets in the southern part of Tulsa. Director of Living Arts Of Tulsa, Steve Liggett, helped prepare for the drawing. Steve and his girlfriend Shirley were 59 y.o. The average altitude of Tulsa is 590 feet. It is positioned on 95th Longitude and 36th Latitude. The difference is 59.
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13. DETROIT
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On April 30th 2011 Hiram Levy drove and navigated in Detroit, starting at 10:45am on Oakwood Blvd at Culver Ave. and 59 miles later, after making 59 turns he finished at 13:35 on Grand River Ave. at US 94. Irina was tracking online from the SET Gallery in Brooklyn. “Motown” was founded by Berry Gordy in Detroit in 1959.
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14. DENVER
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Denver City was founded during the gold rush just before 1859 (November 1858), with major development investment in May 1859 leading to a railway connection. A century ago the total population of Denver was 59% of population in 2010. The first school was a log cabin that opened in 1859. On May 4, 2011 Hiram made this drawing on his own; Irina tracked on-line from Brooklyn. It started at 12:42 pm on US285. Part of the 9 was drawn through the central area of the city with zip code 80259. Weather was 59 degrees.
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15. BOSTON
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The Drawing in Boston was made in memory of Blanche "Ma" Zerner, 102, buried in Hull, MA on June 27, 2011. She was a renowned realtor for more than 59 years and mother of Hiram’s best friend Mike, who was born on January 31, 1940 and died on February 2, 2000. His father Maurice died at 59. Hiram lived in Cambridge in three places: 45 Mt. Vernon St., 10 Chatham St. and 24a Shaler Lane. 45-10+24=59. The Boston Braves left Boston 59 years before, and 59 years before that, in 1893, they claimed their third consecutive National League Championship. Urban Area of Boston is 4,595 sq. km; city population - 617,594. This City Drawing started at 16:10 at 10 Hills Rd. and finished at 19:59 on N. Jewish War Vets Drive. The GPS registered 59 feet elevation in 9 spots.
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16. PHILADELPHIA
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“I am proud to be part of it... now as I am alive” – Mandy Morrison. On July 3, 2011 Irina was multitasking: driving, navigating and videotaping, with Mandy Morrison in the passenger seat. Hiram was tracking intermittently on-line from New Hope, PA. The Drawing started at 2:20pm on US 95 at the Navy Yard and finished at 8:31pm on Island Ave. The City Drawing in Philadelphia was done backwards, first figure 9 then 5, in order to be on time for the Art Museum (spent 2 hours). A significant part of figure 5 was drawn through South 59th Street. After the drawing, Irina and Mandy had dinner not far from 59 North 11th Street. Café 59 (215-568-5559) was already closed. In 1959 in Philadelphia, lobbying by the Artists Equity Association helped create the Percent for Art ordinance, the first for a U.S. city. As of the 2000 census, there were 590,071 households in the city. On the trip, the GPS registered an elevation of 59 feet 14 times and once – 1059 feet.
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17. MELBOURNE
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Melbourne City was established in 1859 during the Victorian Gold Rush and first Australian football matches were played there in 1859. In 1959 Australians were permitted to sponsor Asian spouses for citizenship (crack in White Australia policy) and a notable film, On the Beach, was shot and set in Melbourne. Melbourne Tram route 59 from the city center to the airport has 59 stops. Melbourne Bike Club 59 meets at the Station 59 pub. The National Gallery of Victoria has elevation 59 feet. 59 was drawn in Melbourne in August when the average high temperature is 59 degrees(F). It was drawn in three parts. The route was modified to pass by the Danilov-Smenda residence in Fitzroy. Aleklsey Danilov drove and controlled the device while Irina Danilova navigated. They started drawing 5 at Port Melbourne on August 18th, 2011 at 11:03 and stopped at 12:15. The 9 was drawn on August 22nd from 12:29 till 14:46. It finished on Alexandra Ave across the river from Olympic Park. Part of the 9 was drawn with Renata Smenda and their son, Sev. Renata helped to navigate and Sev was riding in his car seat.
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18. QUAD CITIES
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The Quad Cities actually consist of 5 cities (5 and 9: 5 + quad). Formerly the Tri-Cities that became Quad and remained Quad for so long that when the fifth town grew up the name Quint Cities was not adopted. Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa, Moline, East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois cover an area of 5,993 square km, with a highest elevation of 259 meters and lowest of 590 feet. The Mississippi River (the largest river system in North America, with an average flow of 593,000 cu ft/s and minimum of 159,000 cu ft/c) is the dividing line between Iowa and Illinois in the middle of the Quad Cities. The Drawing, with Hiram Levy driving and Irina Danilova navigating, started on September 3, 2011 at 11:35am at Sunset Line exit of Centennial Expressway in Rock Island (Illinois) at an elevation 459 feet. After about 10 minutes the route ran into the POW Wow Festival at Black Hawk Park, an annual regional Native American’s gathering. Drawing was resumed at 12:30:59 after taking part in native dancing, rituals and prayers. At 12:50 downtown Moline was reached (elevation 590-597 ft) and at 12:59 the Mississippi River was crossed entering Bettendorf (Iowa) where Hiram and Irina visited Hiram’s first Iowa family house, two blocks off the route. The Drawing passed by the Putnam Art Museum; the spot where Hiram’s father, Mort Levy, ran the Syndicate-Hub Clothing Store in downtown Davenport; Maid Rite, a local chain decorated in 1959 style, serving ground meat burgers; and Whiteys a local ice-cream chain. 59th Street in Davenport is broken into pieces and appeared here and there a few blocks above the top of number 5. The trip was altered to visit one of them. Number 9 started in Bettendorf and finished back in Illinois in East Moline at 5:07 with a few small towns along the way, including gravel roads among corn fields. This drawing was made during the memorial trip for Candace Carmichael, elementary school art teacher, passionate artist and quilter, who passed away a few months before turning 59.
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19. SAN JOSE
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In December and January the average high temperature in San Jose is 59 degrees. It hit 59 once on December 13, 2011, during the 59 miles long City Drawing that started at 11:09 and finished at 15:09. Irina drove a rented red car with plate number A----59, Ruthie Ayzenberg navigated, and Hiram Levy tracked on-line from Princeton. There were 3 stops along the way: first was ICA, Institute of Contemporary Arts; next a meeting with local artist Trudy Levy (and Mike Gutman) at her art-box, a public art project painting utility boxes; the last stop was Santa Clara University (where Ruthie entered graduate school), which surrounds the Santa Clara Mission that was built just before San Jose was founded in 18th century and was the first mission of a female Saint.
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20. PHOENIX
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The Phoenix City Drawing was made at the very end of 2011,
symbolically for “phoenix”, finishing a year, to resume the rest of
the project in 2012. On December 27, Olga and Kesha drove and
navigated while Irina monitored the car's movement from New Hope, PA.
Phoenix was established on the ruins of the ancient civilization of the Hohokam
peoples, who had created hundreds of miles of irrigation canals.
In 1859 a new series of canals was built by Jack Swilling, thus laying
the foundation
for the modern city of Phoenix, which was first called Swilling's Mill.
The tracking device recorded an elevation of 1059 feet a few times
and, along North
59th Ave, the car had a heading of 359 degrees. The trip started at
10:39 on W. Indian School Rd, near N83rd Ave. and, after 59 miles,
finished at 12:47 on W. Indian School Road at Grand Ave. The Phoenix
Art Museum was founded in 1959.
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21. NASHVILLE
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The Drawing in Nashville was made on February 18th, 2012, 59 days after the 59th Annual Nashville Christmas Parade. Olga and Kesha started at 11:01 am at Belle Meade Blvd. and 59 km later finished at 12:28pm on I-440 at the intersection with I-65. At 11:41 they were on N. 59th street (N 36.16059° W 86.85947°). Nashville, with an average elevation of 597 feet, has a metro population of 1,590,000. It is the home of the ’59 Gretsch Nashville classic guitar. The sanctuary pipe organ Organ at the First Baptist Church of Nashville, TN is a 59-rank* instrument built by the Schantz. “Nashville” by Robert Altman is #59 on the AFI list of 100 best movies in 100 years. The Bat Poet of Nashville recently died at age 59.
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22. MEMPHIS
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“Memphis, Tennessee” (1959) by Chuck Berry, one of the icons of Rock-n-roll, inspired the name, "Memphis 59", of a music band from Virginia. Amtrak #59 from Chicago, better known as the “City of New Orleans”, passes through Memphis, home of the ’59 Esquire guitar, zip code 38159, Memphis Division Fire Station #59, a defensive Driving Class costing $59, and The Memphis Marriott East with 59 reviews. Elvis Presley’s 1959 red Cadillac is in the Memphis Museum. Olga and Kesha, after finishing drawing 59 in Nashville, drove to Memphis and continued drawing that same afternoon of February 18th, 2012. They started at 5:45 pm at S. 3rd Street and finished at 8:33pm by Nash-Buckingham Park.
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23. BIRMINGHAM
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Birmingham is famous for its I-59 and I-459. There are 59,269 families residing in the city with an expected 59 hot days per year. The Birmingham-area historical earthquake activity is 59% smaller than the overall U.S. average and City Clerk’s Office has zip code 35259. 59,697 Workers live and work in this city. 59 months ago Ramsay High School had 594 Students. Olga and Kesha started drawing on February 19th, 2012 at 3:59pm on 59th Street, not far from I-59 and finished at 6:54pm on I-65 at Lakeshore drive. Coincidentally Olga and Kesha’s friend Zhenya, relocated from Massachusetts, happened to be in a detention center 59 miles from Birmingham, on I-59.
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24. ATLANTA
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Home of Free Mason’s Lodge No. 59, the City of Atlanta desegregated
its buses and trolleys in 1959 and is now governed by its 59th mayor,
Kasim Reed. The 7th Day Adventist’s 59th Quinquennial General
Conference Session was held in Atlanta in 2010. On February 20th,
2012, Olga and Kesha started drawing at 5:42pm on Stone Rd. and
finished at McDonough Blvd SE and University Ave. at 9:30pm. At
7:39pm they drove by zip code 30359. An elevation of 859 feet was
registered 14 times. Emory University was ranked #59 on Forbes list in
2009. Mostly Café 59? is at 59 Executive Park South NE. - "Friendly
staff. Ask for Sylvia. Quick service. Great daily specials. ..."
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25. KANSAS CITY
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Kansas City Drawing started on W95th Street near Overland Parkway at 16:50 on April 11th, 2012. It went through W59th Street and along 59th Ave. After missing the turn we were hijacked by exit-less Highway 169 between the railroad and the downtown airport (an “antenna” on the top of the 9). The trip was interrupted at 7pm on W39th street at Summit Street by a visit to Peter Frick’s house at 4959 Westwood Ter. where Peter demonstrated his 1959 Fender guitar and amplifier and sang into his 1959 microphone several ‘1959 songs, including Wilbert Harrison’s “Kansas City”. Kansas City Drawing resumed at W.39th and Main Street on April 12, at 12:14 pm, after brunch with Tanya Hengsler (not far from the Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 59 Meeting), and finished on W. Gregory Blvd. at State Line at 13:28. Kansas lost in the NCAA basketball final with a score of 59. (When you lose with a score of 59 – you still win). TRANSCAER GP59 Leads NS-KCS Transfer North Kansas City, MO. Flight 5981 from New York to Kansas City arrived next to Gate #59.
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26. DES MOINES
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1959 was quite a year for the State of Iowa and its capital Des Moines. Starting with the day the music died, a plane crash with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson inside, followed by an epidemic of poliomyelitis and finishing with the visit by Nikita Khrushchev. (Even Des Moines in the State of Washington officially became a city in 1959) Drawing Des Moines was not planned but rather inspired during the visit to Iowa State University. On May 13th, 2012 it started at 10:30am on Ep. True Parkway and finished at 12:14pm on Park Avenue and SW 23rd Street. At 10:39:59am, 59th Street was visited along the way with a heading of 359 degrees and at various locations N 41.59594°, N 41.59782° and W 93.59964°… and the route went through 59th Street again at 10:59:59am. Once at Oak Park, the GPS registered a speed of 14,658 mph. It may or may not have been a UFO passing over the car.
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27. HALIFAX
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On June 12th, 2012, the drawing started at 1:06 pm at the intersection of Oxford and South Streets in Halifax and ended at 2:16pm on Pleasant Street in Dartmouth. Hiram was driving, Irina navigating. Halifax was the port of the rescue of Titanic victims. Most of them were buried in Halifax, 59 were shipped home to relatives. 5.59% of the population of Halifax speaks languages other than English or French.
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28. SYDNEY
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Sydney was the first drawing made by foot and public transportation. It also was a kind of mini-drawing. While most of the drawings in cities outside of the US are 59 km long, Sydney was half that long (with 59 turns). It was definitely appreciated after facing the Sydney system of transportation. 5 was drawn on August 7, 2012 from 7:15:36pm till 9:55:44pm, mostly by foot, accept for one segment on the top of the 5. Buses stopped running at 6:30 at Erskineville, where the drawing started and the only bus available that night was on Harris Street. The drawing of number 9 was postponed until next morning with the hope that there would be more buses at that time. There were more, but they did not stop at the bus stop. It happened to be the rule in Sydney that a bus has to be caught from the stop the same way as a taxi. It came naturally after several buses passed by without stopping. 8 buses were used during the drawing of the number 9; several walks including a long promenade along the alley of Centennial Park. On August 8, the 9 started at 9:52:03am and finished at 1:15:16pm. The Sydney drawing was within 59 days of the 59th Sydney Film Festival (June 6-17, 2012), “the most highly attended Sydney Film Festival to date”. On the top of number 9, my route passed by Hotel 59. This drawing is made in memory of Robert Hughes, who was from Sydney and died a day earlier in New York.
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29. BEIJING
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China's total area according to the Encyclopedia Britannica and UN Demographic Yearbook is 9,596,961 km2. China borders 14 (5+9) nations, more than any other country, except Russia, which also borders 14. In 2005, Reporters Without Borders ranked China 159th out of 167 states in its Annual World Press Freedom Index. The 2010 census recorded a total of 593,832 foreign citizens living in China, including 66,159 from Japan. A 1998 survey by Adherents.com found that 59% of the population was non-religious.
Beijing City Drawing started at 13:40, on August 24th, 2012 not far from Beijing West Railway Station, and finished at 17:20 not far from Beijing Central Railway Station, built in 1959, the same year the first Bronze Age Dynasty Xia was excavated in Henan Province, a major expansion of Tiananmen Square in Beijing was completed and the Ten Great Buildings were erected.
City Drawing in Beijing was made by Peking University professor, Dr. Junfeng Liu, and his wife Lianzhe. Junfeng was driving, Lianzhe was navigating with Irina riding and controlling the tracking device. Both Junfeng and Lianzhe noticed that there were not many signs with street names in Beijing, but even if there were plenty, they would still be in Chinese. The help of the young professional couple was critical for the City Drawing in Beijing .
By government traffic regulations in Beijing, on each weekday, cars with alternate plate numbers are prohibited from driving. On Friday, the only day Irina was in Beijing for the City Drawing, allegedly, numbers 1 and 6 were prohibited, while 5 and 9 freely scrolled by. Elevation of 59 meters was registered 4 (9 minus 5) times during the trip.
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30. MOSCOW
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City Drawing in Moscow was realized on Sunday, August 25th, 2012 a week before the annual Federal City Day, with help of the head designers of a superb Moscow design studio UNLABLED. Executive web programming director Tomofey Tkachenko was driving, and Irina Danilova was navigating with the help of Interior Design executive, Olga Terekhova. The City Drawing started at 13:20:00 near the Moscow University and the famous overlook of Moscow cityscape at Vorobievy Gory and finished at 18:33:43 in Danilovsky District. A few stops were made on the way. The average temperature in Moscow throughout the year is 5.9 Celsius. There are two license plate codes in the Moscow Region, 50 and 90. The first American exhibition in Soviet Union, American National Exhibition, was held in Moscow in 1959. The drawing trip passed right by the “Moscow – 59” restaurant on Oruzheinyi Drive (not far from Irina’s former Moscow apartment) and “Moscow – 59” cruise ship on the Moscow river.
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31. KHARKOV
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Kharkov, Irina’s native city, was a tough nut, starting with the inability to sketch the trajectory of the trip on Google Maps: while drawing 9, number 5 would disappear. Leading Kharkov Art Museum restorer, Svetlana Efanova, bravely drove her car over numerous bumps and through sloughs filled with water. Irina was riding and navigating. Several times Google directions led to roads with locked barriers (one was unlocked and opened manually). Once there were a dozen steps in the middle of the road. The round part of figure 9 was drawn together with Irina’s cousins: Gertrud Wimmer and Aleksandr Fesenko. The City Drawing in Kharkov was made on August 26th, 2012 59 hours after the official beginning of Kharkov's 359th year since its foundation. The trip went by the building on Sumskaya Street where Irina lived most of the time in Kharkov; the largest market in the Ukraine, Barabashovo; and the cemetery with the graves of Irina’s great grand mother, who died in 1959, and grand mother. According to Wikipedia, Kharkov has more than 59 scientific institutes and 30 establishments of higher education plus 29 Subway stations. The highest registered population in Kharkov was 1,593,970 in 1989. There were 59 hotels in Kharkov at the time of the drawing.
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32. TALLINN
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City Drawing in Tallinn was the first City Drawing on the 59th Latitude (N), which is at a 59 degree angle from the core of the earth and approximately 59 miles wide. The drawing was made within 59 days after the first LATTITUDE 59 Conference, held in June by Tallinn University of Technology, which brought together innovators and entrepreneurs living within three hundred km on either side of Latitude 59 in the Nordic and Baltic region. Tallinn, which now occupies an area of 159.2 km2 and is in its 959th year since it was first put on the map by the Muslim cartographer Muhammad al-Idrisi, is the oldest city in Northern Europe. The 159 meter Gothic spire of St. Olaf's Church was the tallest building in the world for seventy seven years including 1559 and 1599. The drawing in Tallinn was organized by Valeria Mizun. In the early morning on August 28th, 2012 the van driven by Aleksander Malyshev with Valeria and Irina left St. Petersburg and for 5 hours followed latitude 59 through Narva, to Tallinn. The City Drawing started in a lavish suburb of Tallinn at 12:50:29 and finished at 18:44:51 on someone’s nearby farm. When drawing number 5, the trajectory came close to the residency of Estonian installation artist and photographer Tanja Muravslkaja, who generously toured the "Old City" during the lunch break (13:36:48-17:09:12) and then joined for the rest of the drawing.
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33. ST. PETERSBURG
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The second City Drawing on the 59th Latitude was in St. Petersburg, Russia. The top of the number 9 showed a latitude of 59 degrees and 59 minutes. There are more than 159 museums, many more than 59 theaters, and more than 59 bridges in St. Petersburg. On August 29th, 2012 Sergey Mizun was driving the family car with Valeria Mizun and Irina Danilova navigating. The drawing started at 20:50:11 at Moscow Prospect on Obvodny Canal, the longest canal in Saint Petersburg, which in the 19th century served as the southern limit of the city, and finished at 23:06:26 on KAD, eastern part of the ring road not far from the exit to Murmansky Highway. Sergey and Valeriya Mizun grew up and met in Murmansk and were born 59 years after the foundation of Murmansk during WW1. Accomodations in St. Petersburg: The Taleon Imperial Hotel at 59 Moika Emb or Liteiny Prospket, 59, or Mini-Hotel on Bukharestskaya 59.
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34. STOCKHOLM
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The City Drawing in Stockholm was made on September 1st, 2012 the 59th day after Teddy Bears, sent by activists from Stockholm, parachuted over Minsk to promote human rights in Belarus. 2012 is the 860th anniversary since the city was first called Stockholm. When exactly it happened - we do not know, so theoretically Stockholm could still have been 859 at the time of the drawing or at the time of the Teddy Bear intervention. Stockholm is one of the most latitude aware cities, celebrating its position by the Latitude 59 Degree North Dance Festival (59 Degrees North Tango) or a new wacky art group, 59@IKEA. The Stockholm City Drawing was made with the help of r a k e t a, an artists collaborative organization. Artist Asa Lipka Falck helped to organize the trip. Jann Lipka, photographer, was the main drawer, driving his car around Stockholm. Irina Danilova controlled the GPS signals while trying to pronounce names of the streets. Ulrika Cristell helped with navigation. Two tunnels swallowed some parts of Number 9. The 59km drawing started at 19:52:44 and finished in record time at 21:54:43. The blue line extending from the Number 9 goes straight to one of Stockholm's sister cities - Reykjavik.
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35. REYKJAVIK
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City Drawing in Reykjavik was completed on September 2nd, 2012 during a stopover in Iceland on Icelandair flight F1615 from Stockholm to New York. Irina drove, navigated and transmitted the GPS signal for this City Drawing in the northernmost capital city in the world, which has a metro density of 259 people per square km. The trip started at 10:55:36 and finished at 12:55:59. There was not enough time for the other "59 Things To Do in Reykjavik" that are listed on Trip Advisor, even for its top rated ride on Icelandic Horses that are under 59 inches in height. There was also no time to drive 159 km north from Reykjavik to visit Iceland’s unpaved Route 59.
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The City Drawing in Reykjavik was the last of eight City Drawings made during the “59 Hours and 59 Minutes Flying Around the Globe” performance, an homage to the first flight (59 seconds long) by Wilbur Wright. City Drawings in Sydney, Beijing, Moscow, Kharkov, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Reykjavik were made with the support of The Vilcek Foundation’s inaugural 2012 dARTboard.
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36. ROME
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Rome, the capital of Italy, according to tradition, became a republic in 509 BC. In 59BC Caesar was elected consul, married Calpurnia, and made public the Acta Diurna (Daily News), the world's first daily newspaper; and Livy, the Roman historian, was born. In 59 AD Nero ordered the assassination of his mother Agrippina. The drawing in Rome was made in a "Smart" car on May 30th, 2013 after flying overnight to "The Eternal City" from New York. Part of number 5 was drawn on the way from airport, and the rest of the 5 and the 9 was drawn from 5pm till 9pm with help of Elena, a Russian friend of Raffaella Losapio. Restaurant 59, discovered earlier in Rome by Raffaella, happened to be just by the loop of the number 9. Some turns were missed with the closest U-turn options being outside of the city limits. Rome has 591 public basins. In 1959 Ben-Hur was filmed in the Rome's iconic Cinecittà Studios.
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SLIDE SHOW
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37. NAPOLI
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City Drawing in Naples started on June 2nd, 2013 the Italian Republic Day. Due to the holiday street closures and lack of stoplights, it took several hours to get through the city to the starting point. Drawing involved driving on walking only (for that day) streets. Luckily, the hotel was not far from one of the turns of number 5. City Drawing was finished the next day, on June 3rd. Lorenzo Bernini, sculptor, was born in Naples in 1598. 1959 was the peak of population growth in Naples with the highest mark of 1,226,594. Total population in 2012 was 959,574. The gas price in Naples was 1.59 Euro per liter. Irina was driving, navigating and documenting.
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SLIDE SHOW
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38. MILAN
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After driving all night from Rome, the City Drawing in Milan started at 11 am on June 5, 2013 with a phone call from Raffaella Losapio (who was born and raised in Milan and lives and works in Rome), reporting that the lottery in both Rome and Milan hit number 59. 59 days earlier Milan scored 59 points in the Football Champions League. The trip trajectory coincidently passed by Raffaella’s former residences. Living in Milan is 59% less expensive than in London. The fascinating history of Milan includes expelling the archbishop and leading nobles from the city and the election of Martino della Torre as a Capitano del Popolo by members of the guilds in 1259. The Peace of the Pyrenees was signed on November 5, 1659, which ended a long war with France. In 1859 Sardinia and France defeated Austria at the Battle of Solferino, leading to the unification of Italy two years later. Lufthansa made its first flight to Milan in 1959. The City Drawing passed by the elementary school at Corso Ventidue Marzo 59 and light pole #59, but missed the indoor playground at Via Veglia, 59, Milan, 20159. Hiram was driving, Irina – navigating and documenting.
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SLIDE SHOW
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43. MONTREAL
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Montreal, with 596.64 sq mi of urban area, is the largest city in Quebec, the second largest in Canada and the second largest Francophone city in the world even after the Saint Lawrence Seaway (built in 1959) diminished its economic dominance as ships bypassed the city and businesses spread out. While its record high in December is 59F, the lowest temperature was recorded at 7am on January 10, 1859 (-44F). The Chabad community of Montreal has around 1,590 people. Number 59 is not easily exposed in the city. A famous music venue, Metropolis on 59 Rue Sainte-Catherine Est, has no number on the building or in any printed publicity. The Drawing in Montreal was made on July 22nd, 2014 by Hiram Levy (driving) and Irina Danilova (navigating and documenting), at an average speed of 59km/hour, with an altitude of 59m reached frequently. It was the second day trip to Montreal in an attempt to make a drawing. The first failed due to imperfections in the cellular network back in 2011.
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SLIDE SHOW
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44. KUALA LUMPUR
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Drawing in Kuala Lumpur was made on August 24th, 2014 with help of Igor Khalin, a Professor of Pharmacology at UPNM. It was Ukrainian Independence Day and Igor met me in a traditional Ukrainian shirt, Ukrainian food was prepared by Igor's wife, Anya. Drawing started late and finished almost at midnight, all the time during tropical rain. Everytrail failed to upload the trip (image of the drawing is from Anya's phone). A sister city of New York, Kuala Lumpur was established in 1859. In 1959, when it celebrated the centenary, the University of Malaya added a Recreational school and was divided into two autonomous campuses, one in Singapore. Drawing started at Jalan SS 3/59 and the trajectory went through the areas with zip codes 59000, 59100 and 59200, which is the area code of the Malaysian Parliament. University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) is ranked 259 in the world. Malaysia will be celebrating the 59th anniversary of Independence on August 31st, 2016, in year 2559 by the Buddhist Calendar.
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46. COLUMBO
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Drawing in Colombo was made on August 26, 2014. Taxi driver Ajidn talked on the phone and misinterpreted my directions a few times but drove crazy enough to meet my standards - backed up a block or two, made u-turns at any time and once even drove an entire one-way street against the traffic. The trip started at the sea at Wasala Lane, and 3:35:03 hours later finished at Athul Kotte. Altitude 59 feet was passed 8 times (highest point was 88), at San Sebastian street and around railway museum, at Britto place, etc. While drawing number 9 our path went by the Kelaniya Tample that Buddhists believe was hallowed during the third and final visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment. Its history would thus go back to before 500 BCE. The temple is also famous for its image of the reclining Buddha and paintings by the native artist Solias Mendis, which depict important events in the life of the Buddha, in the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and incidents from the Jataka tales. Phone number of the best budget taxi service in Colombo: 2592592.
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47. MUMBAI
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Number 59 in Mumbai was driven on August 27, 2014 among decorations for the celebration of Ganesha (one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon) that started in 2 days. Widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the Ganesha celebration would become a huge obstacle for City Drawing since his very crowded celebrations take a few days, straight on the streets. It was a pure luck that Irina came to Mumbai a day prior to the celebrations. Ganesha was formally included among the 5 primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. Taxi driver Naved refused to slow down when we passed a Ganesha procession of bikers pushing a huge figure of an elephant head along the highway. During the Drawing the altitude of 59 feet was crossed 9 times in the Kalina district, around Mysore Colony, President Golf Club and near IIT where the altitude rapidly increased from 59 feet to 59 meters. The 58.2 km trip started at 4:25:21 at Sivaji Park and 3:31:03 hours later finished over the Kurla railway yard. Part of number 9 was drawn in the district with post Pin 400059. Sarath Guttikunda, an Iowa graduate student whom Hiram worked with years ago and who had business in Mumbai, the city in which he and Puja married, navigated and directed taxi driver Naved while Irina documented the Drawing. Wonderful hospitality was provided by an old friend of Sarath and Puja, Rati Acharya.
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49. BARCELONA
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The Drawing in Barcelona was made in two parts. It started on August 29, 2014 at 6:28:36 am on the way from airport and came to the Agora residence 1:55:27 hours later. Altitude within number 5 rose from 9 feet to 518 feet, passing by 459, 359, 259, 159 and 59 feet along with 59 meters up to 158.04 meters. The famous Torre Agbar building is located at an elevation of 59 feet. Number 9 started the same day at 14:47 and finished at 16:01. Population density in Barcelona is 15,991 people per square km. Bus 59 runs in the space between 5 and 9. Restaurant Ferran 59 was not visited. Irina drove, navigated and documented the Drawing.
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52. LONDON
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In London it took almost 5 hours and more than 5 buses to draw number 5 (21km) on July 18th, 2015 from 14:42 till 19:34. An altitude of 59 feet was detected several times during the trip. It took 6.5 hours to draw number 9 (38km) on July 19th from 11:14 till 17:45 and an altitude of 59 meters was reached once. The average speed (combined bus rides, waiting and walking) was 5.95km per hour. All together 14 buses were used. Bus 59 was detected but was not used during the drawing. According to the Office for National Statistics, based on the 2011 Census estimates, 59.8 percent of more than 8 million inhabitants of London were white. Irina carried the I-phone GPS and maps while the Drawing was documented by both Hiram and Irina.
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53. PARIS
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According to the 2012 French census, in the Paris Region, 590,504 residents (out of almost 3 million) were immigrants from Europe and 210,159 were born in Overseas France (more than two-thirds in the French West Indies) and are therefore not counted as immigrants since they are legally French citizens at birth. 59.5% of jobs in the Paris Region were in market services (of which 5.9% were in finance and insurance). The trajectory of the drawing passed by the Picasso Museum. Pierre Curie, Alfred Dreyfus, Henri Bergson and Georges-Pierre Seurat were all born in Paris in 1859. On July 21, 2015, the trip started at 12:28 and finished at 15:51. Hiram Levy drove while Irina Danilova navigated and documented.
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54. BRUSSELS
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Brussels has an area of 12.59 mi² with 145,917 inhabitants in the Brussels capital region. In 2005 out of population 3,395,942 in the Walonia region of Brussels, 136,596 were Muslims. The Grand Place, which was voted the most beautiful square in Europe in 2010, served as a market until November 19, 1959, and is still called the Great Market or Grote Markt in Dutch. Two old national roads in Brussels are the N5 (S to Rheims) and N9 (NW to Ostend). On July 23rd 2015, the City Drawing in Brussels started at 16:04 and finished at 19:38 (second drawing after the first disappeared - drawn twice). Hiram drove, while Irina navigated and documented. An altitude of 59 m was detected 8 times. TV Channel 59 in Brussels speaks in Russian.
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57. BUDAPEST
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The Drawing in Budapest, made during a stop over on the way from Kiev to Stuttgart, happened in the 59th year since the Hungarian anti-Soviet Revolution, which started as a peaceful public (student's) protest against the regime and finished with a bloody massacre. The Budapest City Drawing started on August 11th, 2015 at 10:06 and finished at 15:18. It occurred during the days of Shiva for the Budapest chief rabbi, Robert Deutsch, who died at 59. Irina drove a rental car while navigating and documenting. The very rare tram number 59 runs from the city center to the outskirts of Budapest, crossing the side of Buda. 59 percent of Hungarians are dissatisfied with the Orbán government. The Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe, and the second largest active synagogue in the world, was built in Moorish revival style in 1859.
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58. COPENHAGEN
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The Drawing in Copenhagen was made during a stop-over on the way from Italy to the US. The Drawing started on August 25, 2015 at 9:59 and 59.65 km later finished at 12:56. The trajectory of number 9 went by Fælledparken, the largest park in Copenhagen, which is almost 59 hectares. For your cultural program in Copenhagen, you should go to the Museum of Copenhagen at Vesterbrogade 59, take in the train “Running in Copenhagen – 59” that is covered with graffiti from writers such as Easer, Week, Panik & Berock, and dine at Sticks'n'Sushi Nansensgade 59. 59 years ago, Copenhagen, taking advantage of its bicycle-friendly infrastructure, hosted the UCI Road World Championships for the 5th time
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59.HELSINKI
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Our Finnish finish. It was the second attempt to Draw Helsinki. The first time back in 2010, also during a stopover on the way to the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art in Yekaterinburg, we failed to find the right equipment. The guest of honor this time (September 4th, 2015) was Petri Ala-Maunus, an artist from Helsinki and one of the finalists in The 59 Seconds Video Festival. He noted that the trip started (at 10:52) next to an art center in a former Nokia factory that was a cable factory before Nokia. The trip passed by building #59 on Runeberginkatu street. Tracking bus number 59 wasn't fruitful during the trip that finished in the center of the city at 13:05. After that Irina went on hunting for it. "Let me know if you make a shot", texted Petri, who ran off to pick up his son from the kindergarten. "There is no IF" texted Irina back to him but soon realized what he meant. Bus #59 was running on a fastway. The only safe waiting place was straight in front of the stop. Irina made the shot, but can not show it publically since the driver came out of the bus, walked up and informed her that it was a federal offence. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of the municipality of Helsinki. The majority of the population speaks Finnish as their native language. A minority, 5.9%, speaks Swedish.
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