ZOMBIECON Featured in the New York Times.
SPARE TIMES: Article by MELENA RYZIK
Published: October 17, 2008
There are still two weeks until Halloween, and already the undead are out in force. ZombieCon, the annual parade of the bloody, the battered and the strangely animated, takes place on Saturday. For the fourth year participants in this loosely organized spectacle will roam the streets of Manhattan (above), dressed in their best grave-defying fashions and gaping wounds, spending the afternoon scaring children and shopkeepers and hunting for brains (and beer).
”ZombieCon combines the things we love most (costumes, street theater and Halloween parties) with a wry commentary on what we see as the mindless consumer nature of the holiday and mainstream party scenes,” Irene Kaoru Malatesta, a creator of the event and a graphic designer by day, wrote in an e-mail message. ”The first three years had us beginning our invasion down Fifth Avenue for maximum contrast between the chic shops and our bedraggled horde.”
This year the opportunity for cultural jamming is especially ripe: suggested outfits include zombie stockbroker, zombie bull market and zombie Brooklyn food co-op manager. Of course some people just go for the creativity.
”My all-time favorite might be zombie Charlie Brown — he carried a handmade thought bubble that said simply, ‘Grief,’ ” wrote Ms. Malatesta, who plans to do her best Michael Jackson in ”Thriller.”
As with any attack, stealth is key; location information for the event is not released in advance. Join the e-mail list at ZombieCon.com for details, or just let them find you.
