Get lost in this trippy Williamsburg maze

Effi Briest. Photo Brian Tamborello

By Meredith Deliso

Last year, when Sam Hillmer and his wife, visual artist Laura Paris, were looking for a location for their month-long artist installation, “You Are Here,” they kept their sights on locations you would least expect and found a storefront in the heart of Times Square.

“Initially what we wanted to do was keep it on this vibe of being in a place where you would last expect it,” says Hillmer, who wound up using Chashama’s Visual Arts Space 44th between Sixth Avenue and Broadway. “Part of the original concept was trying to get all these people who would just be, ‘What the f--- is this?’ and sort of document that.” (Watch a video of last year's "You Are Here" below.)

This fall, the installation comes to a more natural home – Williamsburg.

“It’s become way more about galvanizing our scene and less about freaking out tourists,” says Hillmer, tenor saxophonist for the Brooklyn-based avant garde jazz group Zs. “It’s appropriate that we move it to Williamsburg.”

From September 10 through October 2, Death by Audio will be home to “You are Here,” aka The Maze, an installation and performance festival.Curated by the Bushwick-based couple, the three-week performance festival will featuring such artists as Zs, Mick Barr, Effi Briest, Calvin Johnson, The Coathangers, Excepter, Extra Life, Katie Eastburn (of Young People), Stars Like Fleas, Ninjasonik, Nine 11 Thesaurus, and many more.

Medium and genre vary and overlapping, and simultaneous performances are frequent. Don’t expect a CMJ-like orderliness; there is no set order, start time or end time, or location of the performances.

“It’s very claustrophobic,” says Hillmer, who books as many as five to seven bands a night for the festival. “It’s definitely way more on the avant noisy weird side of things. That’s how I like it.”

“You are Here” is September 10 to October 2 at Death by Audio (49 South 2nd St.). Doors are at 8 p.m., with performances 9 p.m. to late every night. Admission is $8 at the door.