An Extremely Socially Distanced Office Floating on the East River

After quarantining and working from home in a tiny New York City apartment, a floating socially distanced office in the middle of the East River may sound appealing. You would certainly make your co-workers jealous of your Zoom background view! On Monday, a raft turned office just off the shore of Pebble Beach in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood was spotted by amused pedestrians on land and jetskiers and boaters on the river. Created by Improv Everywhere and Tideland Institute, the stunt was inspired by the Institute’s mission of promoting culture on New York’s waterways and all of our efforts to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photograph by Thomas Concordia

The extremely socially distanced office was furnished with contemporary office furniture chosen to look like part of a government program. Agent Glo Tavarez from Improv Everywhere posed as a Department of Buildings employee who told anyone on land who asked about the office that it was a Department of Buildings pilot program. The agent claimed there would be 4,000 floating offices on the East River in the spring, with an additional 6,000 to follow on the Hudson River by summer. A sign was put up with a rendering of the offices and a description of the project.

Fake DOB project rendering

The office was built at Tideland’s home base in Newtown Creek in Queens and brought to DUMBO via the East River with a Zodiac boat. It was outfitted with office furniture from the company of Agent Jesse Good and stocked with essentials including a Mac Mini computer running off a boat battery, a wireless hot spot, printer, water cooler, couch, and of course, hand sanitizer and Lysol. Agent Jesse Good staffed the office for the day and even joined a real Zoom call with a dozen Improv Everywhere performers.

Photograph by Thomas Concordia

Workers were transported to the office by a shuttle boat at Brooklyn’s Main Street Park. The office was anchored just inside the cove for protection from the East River currents, but everything was secured with screws or tape in case of a large wave from the wake of an NYC Ferry Boat. Since there is no common area kitchen when working from an East River office space, Agent Danielle Isadora Butler sailed out with a selection of chips, energy bars, and tea on the “snack rowboat.”

Photograph by Thomas Concordia

Improv Everywhere is a New York City-based comedy collective that stages unexpected performances in public places. They are known for events like the annual no-pants subway ride in New York City. Their mission is “to surprise and delight random strangers through positive pranks,” a mission accomplished with the floating office at a time when we could all use a good laugh.

Photograph by Thomas Concordia

Next, check out Improv Everywhere Creates Fake Apple Store Out of NYC’s 23rd Street Subway Elevator