Shawyer dissertation May 2008 final version - The University of ...

Chapter TwoThe Grand Central Station Yip-In: Form into PracticeAnyway, a revolutionary artist, which is shorthand for either Revolutionist or Artist, justdoes it. Life-actors, all play their roles according to their backgrounds, talents, costumes,and props.—Abbie Hoffman (Revolution 91)The stately Beaux-Arts façade of Grand Central Terminal ushers travelers back intime to the glory days of opulent rail travel. The marble arches of the terminal’s GrandConcourse soar high to the vaulted ceiling, where starry images from the zodiac twinklein the light of gilt chandeliers. Late at night, the painted constellations look down on thelast few commuters scurrying to catch the final trains of the day. Their footsteps echothrough the cavernous concourse, keeping time with the steady forward motion of thehands of the brass clock perched atop the information booth at the very center of the greathall. Here the wild beat of the city is tamed and organized: the shiny clock below and theshimmering zodiac high above keep track of the days and hours, while the postedschedules and the maze of tunnels to various platforms impose order in the heart ofmidtown Manhattan.Yet late one March night in 1968, something decidedly disorderly happens to theterminal. First in trickles, then in droves, a crowd enters the concourse and swarmsaround the central information booth. These aren’t the typical late-night commuters—98