In musical history, what differentiated New Orleans from the rest of the United States was that it didn’t prohibit slaves from keeping their drums and playing music. There was a space, and people used it to create. On Sundays, the slaves could descend on Congo Square, where they would beat their instruments, dance, and create. This spirit continues even today in the city, in traditions like festivals, second lines, and Mardi Gras Indian processions, which take place in the streets, et even in Congo Square. Open space, without prohibitions, is an integral part of creation, and maybe that is most evident in New Orleans, where one finds projects like the Music Box Roving Village:

This installation is yet another example of the way that open space offers the opportunity to create freely here. It also reminds me of the protest against the noise ordinance more than a year ago. After this event, city council members were considering some rules that would have made it so that one couldn’t have, for example, amplification or music without a stage. It was strange that this possibility was being considered in the first place considering the history of the city. That worried me, but the fact that this installtion is still possible gives me hope.