the longest night

THE LONGEST NIGHT is a happening produced by Madeline Cochran that took place on December 21, 2025 at 4:47 PM CST in a snowy field in Minneapolis. The location, surrounded by high rise apartments, houses, and businesses, was and remains the only fully vacant block in the vicinity.

The happening was only communicated through mailed invitations. The invitations consisted of a 4 x 4 inch fragment of the handmade paper grid and post card that included a map of where the event would be. No other details were provided other than the date and prompt time of the event, and cross streets at which the field was located.  

At 4:35 PM, people who received the invites showed up and stood in the snowy field. Promptly at 4:47 PM, the handmade abaca paper grids, tied to steel rebar, were burned by Cochran and her selection of 9 other people, LASTING AROUND 9 MINUTES.

There was discussion with the audience after the event.

There was intentionally no write up or text iterating further on concept or the event. 

The grids took 3 weeks to make.