new york diary part six
There are perhaps two more parts to come - or one epically long part.
The first image is part of my map during the visit. If you look closely you'll see two red squares on it at an angle. The one near the bottom is where my hostel was. The one near the top over text is roughly where the AC Institute is.
As previously omissions etc are in square brackets.
The other parts
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-one.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-two.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-three.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-four.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-five.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-seven.html
http://santiagosdeadwasp.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-york-diary-part-eight.html
15/10/10 Morning
The performance was something around 1 hour 45 minutes [actually 1:15, see previous post for audio]. It started out going in one kind of direction with me walking round the space reading, talking and repeating, as well as preparing my initial written cues.
I'd already pencilled a sketch of the space and a list of the other spaces I wanted to map on it along with brief details of the mainly sonic characteristics I wanted to capture.
The first physical task was to transfer that pencilled 'map' to a sheet of The New York Times. This larger sacle object was placed in one corner of the space and was meant to act as a cue.
That didn't work very well though even when I assigned particular locations to particular parts of the space. So instead of my thought that the whole space would be [simultaneously] the alcove, the aeroplane, the subway car, I determined that [for example] the area immediately left as you entered the space would be my flat at home and a recent night out.
The advantage being that I could concentrate certain sounds in certain areas and give the whole a kind of loose almost-narrative structure.
To that end I ripped another page of The New York Times in eight and transferred the notes about each location to one of the pieces in turn. Each piece was then placed in the corresponding location in the alcove.
Again it became apparent even as I was doing it that this wouldn't really help. So I divided two facing notebook pages each in quarters and put the information there too. I made sure these notes only concentrated on sound.
Throughout this process which took a while I was speaking, singing, tapping, banging and scraping the space, but not really beginning to get anything coherent out of it. It was somewhere around here that I began to wonder if this was ever going to come together as a performance or if it would just remain me wandering about making not especially interesting sounds.
I will say here that I think I failed in one aspect - I don't believe the performance had much to do with the exhibition.
The next step was to try and draw a composition out of all the elements I had. Relying now entirely on the notebook I started in the left corner as you enter the space and experimented with pulling together some of the elements I'd played with so far.
In this case [I started by] making a shh noise while banging the water bottle on the floor in groups of four beats. That seemed to work so I developed a second element. After four iterations of shh each with two sets of four beats within it [I decided] to move on to scraping the bottle on the wall while still making shh sounds.
[Below is my notebook used in the performance and for the final bit of the diary]
And so it progressed at each location. Come up with a sound related to [one of] the other location[s] I'd assigned to that spot that seemed to follow on from what went previously. If it worked it was noted down. From time to time I went back to the start and followed the sequence through so far to try and memorise it and see if it was working.
That eventually brought me right round the space. With that done I finished the performance by running through the whole sequence three times.
[There were mistakes - at the beginning while making the shh sound and banging the water bottle there were a couple of occasions where I added extra groups of four bangs between the paired groups that were supposed to be there.]
I was a lot more tired by the performance (and more in need of my apple) than I'd expected to be. But I guess one and three quarter [actually one and a quarter] hours sustained concentration while attempting to create a piece and perform is pretty tiring. I'd certainly like to try it again though.
One of the things that surprised me is how unaware of the passae of time I was. Another was how uaware I was of the presence of other people. I hope that both these could be regarded as a good thing.
[Below are my tickets to and from Manchester Airport, my New York MetroCard and the separate Sky Train Card, and front and back of AC Institute business cards.]
And now it's more or less over. I'm not certain of the time suddenly. My phone says coming up to 10, the cooker says coming up to eight. Normally I'd trust my phone. Anyway I can check the time elsewhere. But all I have left here is a quick noodle breakfast and coffee - wash the pots and pack them, dump my linen for cleaning and then find something to do with the day until around 5:30 when I have to get a ride to the airport.
It really hasn't been a long enough trip. Not that I have a particular urge to see America or stay in one place. Rather it would be nice to be away from home a longer time.
After the performance I went to a nice bar BillyMarks. Joseph told me it's run by two brothers, one who does the days the other nights. Billy who was tending while we were there kept up a stream of movement and chatter, commenting on some of the drinks, playing chess with customers and sometimes leaving the bar for a smoke outside.
Again like The Fulton Grand the music had a pretty heavy slant to British music of the 60s, 70s and even 80s.
The atmosphere was great and I found I was smiling a lot more than I have on this trip. Not that I've been guarded especially just not as unaffectedly happy.
[Below, stationery including one of two pens that ran out on the trip and the pencils I bought to replace them]
That happiness itself is relatively new and one of the great things to come out of this year.
All of which brings things more or less up to date. More international performances needed for sure.
I think a quick trip to Manhattan to check emails and blog, then back out here will bring me up to about 1. Then I can get a coffee snd take my time before I get back on the subway. The A train to Far Rockaway should get me there.
What have I enjoyed about the trip so far? Flying, especially the take-off and landing were enjoyable. The performance too was good and I wasn't aware of the effort it took until afterwards. The two bars The Fulton Grand and BillyMarks even if you're drinking soft drinks were really nice. The fact that people are friendly here. Getting some brief time online. [Omitted]. Figuring out the transport system eventually. Getting my meals organised so I ate enough every day at proper times and didn't spend a fortune. Walking around the neighbourhood I was staying in and working out how it was all put together. Talking to the people at the AC Institute. Sitting by the Hudson. Beautiful weather every day except yesterday. The amazing thunderstorn and the hail while I was in The Fulton Grand. Seeing the raccoon in Central Park. Taking responsibility for myself and doing things like showering and making food and coffee when I wanted. That doesn't sound such a big deal but in the past I would have been hopelessly defferential and tried to anticipate what was best for other people. In turn that meant I'd either inconvenience myself or end up not doingwhat I wanted. Writing so much diary.
Generally though it's more intangible. Being in a new place and getting used to it. Having time to relax away from all the trivial shit I usually worry about. Achieving a whole new set of things I'd never done before. Creating and performing a new piece of work out of nothing in a limited period of time in front of an audience. Not worrying about things.
[Below is my notebook in which I kept the diary.]
I already mentioned this a day or two ago in a slightly different way but I don't feel like I've changed much. Clearly though with all the firsts, with it being such a big deal, on top of a year of change it has to have had an effect.
Now some of my earlier impressions could be rewritten. Some of the general observations conflated Brooklyn and Manhattan as though they were in any way comparable. Physically and it seems culturally they're wholly different and more internally diverse than I initially noticed.
Yesterday's big walk - relying on vague and as it happens unhelpful directions I'd seen at the hostel - was down Franklin Avenue a couple of kilometres each direction in search of Prospect Park. Had I looked at the map I could have saved myself the trouble and just walked out to Flatbush then down from there.
As it was I saw some interesting buildings and a few fairly quiet streets. Some of the street[s] I crossed reminded me superficially of bits of London. Probably the broad configuration of some of the element but nothing I could specify clearly.
Other than the exhibition I haven't managed to take any photos. And despite what I wrote on the second day I haven't actually felt the need to. I always find what I can carry in my head however changed and distorted it might get to be more important. Plus my diary does a good enough job of the things I might want to hold on to.
[Below pages from the diary.]
Also I never like to look like a tourist or like I don't belong. Even when I'd never travelled it struck me as pointless to go somewhere now and yet consciously carry your home about with you.
Some of your home is of course part of your identity. But that part you don't need actually to consciously carry. Surely those things you feel the need to make an effort to carry are exactly the things you can afford to let go of.
Although it hasn't rained yet it's been the coldest day so far despite some direct sun. Weatherwise it's been an amazing trip and a lot better than I expected. No idea what it's been like in the UK.
Some nice messages [ommitted] in repsonse to my first diary post.
Didn't manage to do as much as I wanted online but blogged about half what remained of the entry from Tuesday. Got it posted and linked up on Facebook with seconds to go. Two pretty big posts so far amounting to just over 22 pages of the 114 and a bit I've written so far.
Some out of town (American) visitors to New York were in the subway car earlier. Unlike most kids in the uK, having asked his parents about a subdued looking child with her mother the son of the family went over to talk to the girl and her mother. It was a nice gesture and unforced.
Eating my lunch in the small park near Lafayette saw a couple sat at one of the tables with pigeons jumping up on the table on them and their bags. It kept the pigeons effectively distracted from me.
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