It began with a whistle, then an episode of organized chaos.
As the clock struck 12:20 p.m., a sword-fighting flash mob broke out Thursday on Turlington Plaza.
Bystanders watched as about 30 people rushed onto the plaza bearing homemade swords constructed from cardboard. Some were armed with balloon or foam swords while others stuck with the more traditional plastic sword.
UF junior John Bowers said he was on his way home from class when he was surprised by a herd of people storming onto Turlington Plaza. The sound of war cries stopped him dead in his tracks; he had to watch the epic battle, he said.
Most of the participants wore regular clothing, but a few were clad in pirate attire while others had helmets and shields.
"The battle was a nice break from my hectic day," Bowers said. "It brought me back to my childhood, when I had no worries in the world."
The battle trudged on for a few minutes until a second whistle sounded, and everyone stopped fighting to go about his or her day.
According to Bill Wasik, originator of flash mobs and a former senior editor at Harper's Magazine, the mobs started as a lighthearted social experiment meant to inspire spontaneity. He also wanted to see if big gatherings of people could temporarily take over public areas merely to show that it could be done.
Frank Bouchard, a UF graduate student studying biology, is the mastermind behind the recent flash mob.
Bouchard, 26, said this was his first time coordinating the flash mob, but he has been participating in them for about three years. He decided to do a sword fight this summer because he thought it would be something fun and interesting that people would show up for.
The coordination is purely by Internet, he said. Bouchard assembles his flash-mobbing minions via his Facebook group. His friends receive an invite, he said, and are encouraged to invite their friends.
Although the flash mobs during fall and spring draw more participants, Bouchard said he was pleased with the turnout and excited that his first time organizing went fairly well. He said people seemed to enjoy themselves and those watching appeared to be entertained.
Bouchard said he is looking forward to having at least one flash mob a semester and to making each one better. He wants to have a flash mob at UF that resembles the 200-person pillow-fighting mob in 2009.
That day, Turlington Plaza was filled with students who were seeking a thrill and a chance to gather for the sake of non-conformity.
"We were afraid there would be feathers all over the place, but luckily there weren't any," Bouchard said. "Just a lot of pillows."
