In 1993, New York was a city in turmoil. The war on drugs was flagging. Gentrification was slicing the city into pieces. And the AIDS epidemic was reaching a fever pitch. But amidst the chaos, artists were reacting and creating what would become some of the most influential work of the latter half of the century. Twenty years later, the New Museum’s exhibition “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star”, commemorated that work. Droga5 was tasked with launching a creative campaign to drive awareness of the show, which had no major headlining artist. So the agency brought the exhibit to every street corner in Manhattan to commemorate not just art from 1993, but also the societal changes that year brought to the city. Using one of the last remaining relics of the 90s as a canvas, the campaign turned 5,000 pay phones into time machines, delivering hundreds of stories from some of the most famous, infamous and influential New Yorkers of that time.
Historical narrators for Recalling 1993 included:
Brian Lehrer, WNYC Radio Host - Michael Musto, Village Voice Columnist - Timothy “Speed” Levitch, New York City Tour Guide
Other Recalling 1993 contributors included:
Abby Moser, Riot Grrrl Documentarian - Jim Abbot, MLB Pitcher - Joshua David, High Line President - Chazz Palminteri, Actor - Fern Mallis, New York Fashion Week Creator - Johnny Puke, Punk Rocker - David Ortiz, Streetwear Legend - James St. James, Club Kid - Sister Miriam Kevin Phillips, Sisters of Charity