Today when I got onto the bus my favorite seat was available, the one just up to the top of the steps right behind the back door. Sitting there is like being on a ride, I don't like rides, but I like sitting there and feeling "like I'm on a ride". Michael and Uma clocked me coming up the isle (I don't mean hit me, I man saw me in a meaningful way) I "clocked them clocking me" and I wondered what was up.... soon after I sat down Michael leaned over and said "excuse me, what do you do?" I told him that up until yesterday I worked in the stacks at the library. He leaned over to Uma, and said, I was pretty close. I asked him what he had guessed I did. And he said school teacher. I told him that he was really good because I had just started school to be able to teach. I asked him what he did, and he said he was a seasonal construction worker, but mostly in summer. He told me he had a deconstruction job last week, which was really fun. And next week he has a landscaping gig, he hopes that the weather is like today, but he doesn't really care, he loves working outside. He then explained that what he is really good at is relaxing, being lazy. He told me the trick to that is to balance inactivity with moving around pretending like you are actually going to get something done. Uma was pretty shy and mostly hid behind Michael. They got off soon, we shook hands and expressed our mutual pleasure about the meeting. I was particularly taken by this experience, as Michael performed, with me as a recipient, exactly the kind of social practice work that I might do. (I am a little obsessed with the relationships that happen on buses) I loved this experience, and I feel like this is a great demonstration of the synchronicity/coincidence/connection that I am interested in, and I got to be on the receiving, responsive (rather than generative) end of it!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Bus meeting
Points of departure
I am not quite sure how to use this space yet, I mean in terms of what is worth posting.
Here is a list of some of the things I am thinking about.
coincidence
connections
physical trails of experience
elevators
memory/rethinking-redefining memory
collaboration
work/play
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Public Sweat Shop, and an introduction
Hi all, I first want to "introduce" you to Ralph Pugay. He and I will be collaborating a lot together this year. The idea for this project initiated with Ralph. He is from the Philippines and .... worked a couple of days in an outdoor, casual labor, sweat shop, producing dolls for carnival prizes in the US.
The idea is to have an out door sweatshop, producing sewn dolls for one day in a public space (I'm thinking pioneer courthouse square) There will be stations for pattern cutting, sewing, stuffing and finishing work. We project this to go for a minumum of 7 hours (at this early planning stage- although to go for 24 hours with shifts could be much better.)
We were thinking of presenting a 7 course meal, prepared by Ralph and I, as payment to the workers.
At the end of production, all the dolls will be shipped to the Philippines.
This is a brand new idea, we are just germinating, so if anyone has any ideas, wants to work with us, any thoughts at all please do stick your oar in.
first project
Ok, well the first project i am going to be working on came because of the day I took this picture. I had been called back in for a second mammogram.... really scary and lonely feeling. For any of you who have never had a mammogram, you have to go into these tiny 4x4 rooms with a curtain on one side and change into a hospital gown, and then just sit there in this little room with the curtain closed, and people moving around out side of it until they come to get you. They put some stuff on the wall and some magazines in there, but it is really surreal, your are already stressed, and you feel like a lab rat-like your own reality is suspended in this place. On this day when I went into the sadly familiar little room, I found this (in the photo). It was made on the glass of some inane framed print there. It was all made out of weird medical stuff (obviously all the components had some adhesive quality). I felt so great, so connected. I didn't feel so alone. I understood that it was other real people who just like me had been in this room, feeling much the way I did. This little work was like a message through time from some "her" to me.
I got the idea from this is; to go to places where one might be nervous to make, and leave little works, made from materials available there. My idea is that maybe just once someone else will be heartened and feel less alone like I did when I found this.
So far I am thinking about the grey hound station, especially in the bathroom. The court house, and the police station. I will also just do it where ever I happen to be if I feel nervous.
Does anyone have any suggestions, or stories about places that make them nervous-stressed?
Also, if anyone else would like to do this too, that would be great! and if you would or could send me documentation-photo or written, I would love it!