Ryan McNamara, "Misty Malarky Ying Yang," a High Line Performance

In 2014, High Line Art presented Misty Malarky Ying Yang, a new performance by artist Ryan McNamara that celebrates the 35th anniversary of President Jimmy Carter’s famous 1979 “Malaise Speech.” The performance started at the south end of the High Line at Gansevoort Street, winding northward along the High Line towards West 30th Street.

Ryan McNamara is an artist known for transforming spaces into immersive experiences. For the High Line, the artist and a group of performers will use President Jimmy Carter’s famous “Malaise Speech” as the point of departure for a choreographed spectacle. On July 15, 1979, Carter addressed the nation in a televised speech concerning the ongoing energy crisis. In what became known as the “Malaise Speech,” the President described America’s “crisis of confidence” and declared overconsumption the culprit. The American standard of fossil-fuel gluttony would have to end, the solution being self-sacrifice as much as policy. His candor went over well for a few days, lifting Carter’s approval rating, until the American public realized that the President was pointing the finger squarely at them. It is known as the final nail in the Carter administration’s coffin.