The Inspiration:

The idea was inspired by a group in New York called Improv Everywhere. Props to them! The following is a brief description behind their idea:

“Improv Everywhere is, at its core, about having fun. We’re big believers in “organized fun”. In the process we bring excitement to otherwise unexciting locales and give strangers a story they can tell for the rest of their lives. We’re out to prove that a prank doesn’t have to involve humiliation or embarrassment; it can simply be about making someone laugh, smile, or stop to notice the world around them.”

The following is a sample of Improv Everywhere:

Our Twist to the Idea:

Our twist to this idea would be to use this creative method for drawing attention to social injustices around the world.

The Basic Concept:

For our Freeze Project moments, we would like to draw a couple of hundred people at a time to participate in drawing attention to some of the social injustices of the world. Instead of protesting, we would like to create an experience that is fun, non-intrusive (in your face activism), and inclusive. We believe that we could use “the Freeze” to draw attention in a crowd, which will then be followed up with a brief handout to people about a particular social injustice in the world.

How a Freeze Project Moment Looks:

• Participants will be asked to show up a designated time and place.
• Participants will then proceed to the “Freeze” space and blend themselves into a crowd as if they were regulars in that particular environments (e.g., malls, events, outdoor shopping areas, etc.).
• A cue will be given by the director of the Freeze moment.
• Participants will then stop what they were doing and stay frozen for the next 5 minutes until they receive another cue telling them that the freeze is over.
• Following the freeze, participants will handout a couple of print material each to people observing them (with or without conversation).
• That’s it! Enjoy the rest of the day at the venue where the Freeze takes place.

We just ask that participants give us feedback after the experience by visiting our website/blog: www.thefreezeproject.com.