TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

  

VIEWING ALL POSTS FOR: AUGUST 2002

Saturday, August 31, 2002

6:55 AM
Posted by jodi rose

this week's theme is abundance; back on the farm, picking cherry tomatoes, basil, sunflowers, beans- the beans were very zen, you only see them once you stop looking.and the tomatoes also spring up on you, with every change of perspective there are whole bunches more under the leaves.being on the farm with fresh organic vegetables straight out of the garden every meal sure does spoil you for city living, that stuff is so expensive to buy. picked up a huge bag of basil at the ave b storefront to make buckets of pesto, but forgot to get the special ultra delicious media garlic.
lisa came by on wed when I was playing shopgirl, with a ticket for de la guarda, so I left the store in ezra's capable hands and ran off to see one of the most amazing physical or any theatre shows ever! fantastic aerialists, live music, amazing! started with shadows on the paper ceiling, which was splattered with phosphorescent paint and then glowed like the stars, plastic toys rained down, the performers threw themselves at the wall, raced across the space over our heads, suspended in fishing net with water blasting them, tried to climb up a rope - so much more exciting and enjoyable than la fura dels bas with their blood throwing.
out drinking after withl isa and finton at rififi's, a tiny bar on11th st infront of the 'classic' cinema, with an exceptionally pretty boy dj who would have played requests, if he had skyhooks or hoodoo gurus - it was trashy 80's night, took me right back to my teen years dancing at the exchange on oxford st, depeche mode, duran duran - hungry like the wolf, aha - take on me, early madonna - spookily the playlist was almost an exact match with the country radio station I was listening to on the farm. danced in the back room which we had all to ourselves, until this guy came in and turned off the live mike we were using for karaoke, so finton did his best stork impression back in the front bar, giving the new york hipsters something new - one of the funniest things I have seen in years, circling each foot at waist level (he's very tall with another 3 inches of hair on top), until knocking over a table at which point the bartender suggested not doing it again. they had been hanging out at the un, researching a documentary on the special commisioner for children in areas of conflict, and were in the UN tv studio waiting for some tapes, decided to watch on of the myriad videos in the library there - and found a tape of Kofi Annan doing Sesame Street, which of course had to go on.
Recovering now in my new Brooklyn pad, courtesy of Kathy - you rock !- and taking it all very slowly for a few days.

Monday, August 26, 2002

6:27 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Lake Burden, NY
Out of the city again, stayed with Kathy after Branda's media faculty party. The lake here is so beautiful, floating lilies and conifer trees and ernie the big grey cat, foo foo the toy poodle and lily the brooklyn st dog. Drove up with nina and jessica in an all day road adventure, and skipped the after party in the house over the road in favour of sleep. Still need more, even though it wasn't a late night have very low energy and slightly dazed, foggy head. (not chemically inflicted, I swear. only drank 2 mojita's!)
friday night, met lisa and her friend jody at the guggenheim, exhibition of moving images, the space is so fantastic I love just hanging out leaning over the balcony on each level of the spiral, watching the video garden colours flicker on the ground floor. we took a cab too a bar on 58th, called hudson which was a whole other level of ny excess. coloured glass floor, minimalist room with another back room full of books, leather couches and cow picture, a modern gentlemans club den, then another taxi to the brooklyn bridge, where finton was waiting on a bench. the cables sound gorgeous, those diagonal ones that cross over multiple vertical cables in particular had a fantastic rhthym happening. The waning full moon shining over brooklyn, the lights of the city sparkling, it was absolutely glorious. talking with some people last night, yes, this is the voice of the divine. (refer to 'about' page for further rant on this topic)

Thursday, August 22, 2002

5:48 AM
Posted by jodi rose

South 4th St
Surprise, we didn't make it to the bridge last night. This is why I avoid writing plans, with life so fluid it's impossible to predict how the next 5 minutes will pan out, let alone something in a few hours. Living in the moment, sista!!!
Arrived at Lisa's apartment on 8th and Avenue D at cocktail hour - Alphabet Slings on the rooftop, very delicious.
Finton took us on a wild gospel chase to Harlem, the music turns out to be happening thursday not tuesday, but we walked from Marcus Garvey park along 5th avenue from 125th St down to across 110th street (singing all the way ....across 110th st...) Back into the east village for dinner at dojo on st marks place - yummy cheap japanese vego food, famously asking lisa last time she was there, on enquiring if a dish was vegetarian "well, how vegetarian are you?" - caught the subway home across the williamsburg bridge.
And then I had my new york moment. Well, it was in brooklyn, ... on a rooftop in brooklyn, at (almost) one in the morning, watching the lights flash - in manhattan! There I was, looking out over New York City at night, totally gorgeous, but I could only see 4 bridges, so PJ must have been on a different roof. Made me very happy, it's not so bad being here in nyc after all!!!

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

5:03 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Williamsburg, NYC
Attempting to clear out the clutter from my luggage........ oh god, why can't I be minimal??? Lovely morning with the girls doing projects, Willow staining and finishing banquet table, Sasha looking up her courses at nyu for next semester, oh and Laura flew off to the Bahamas for a few days. Didn't make it to the 'remote lounge' audio/visual event last night, even though some of the bridge sounds may have been played as part of someone's set, there are nights when I can get excited about going out to these events, and this wasn't one of them. So we stayed in, made rice and bean tortillas and hung out in the girls loft - much cooler. Speaking of which, the heat in new york in august really is unbearable, sticky and muggy day after day after day. Today cooled a little after the thunderstorm in the night, but the bridge recordings are going to be nocturnal here. Hoping for the first one tonight, meeting up with Lisa and Finton later - YAY!!!! - and will have my first professional sound recording assistance. Let's see if it makes any difference, I've grown fond of the random chaotic human elements in my recordings, the sound of microphones clinking, gaffa tape being ripped off, talking, laughing, bicycles - it's all part of the aural environment, why try and pretend there is even any 'pure' sound possible. But I think that rant's been done before.
Checked out PS1 contemporary art space yesterday - in case the australia council ever sees fit to grant me a studio there - as you walk in the front garden space, there are 3 swimming pools installed with sand, and lots of kids playing in the water. Very cute, the urban beach. Exhibition from Mexico City, too much video that didn't really grab me (although I must confess being very hot and cranky not much can) but some off the wall photos of extremely wealthy women in their outlandishly decorated homes, one accompanied by a leopard, were intriguing in a slightly repellant way. My favourite was a young Puerto rican gallery attendant, who was standing right against the air-con unit, singing into it along with his cd walkman, completely oblivious to anyone in the gallery. At first thought he was a performance artist, but it was even better that he wasn't. The other cool thing was on the roof, a room of Richard Serra's work - not sure what he did to the space exactly, maybe installed the tiles? and another great open balcony space with something of Julian Schnabel's in the roof, but it was hard to tell.
Saw 'caravaggio' at the pioneer cinema on east 3rd st afterwards, incredibly lush and decadent and sexy and gritty, with a very young tilda swinton and lots of filthy half naked men. Great.
Thinking a lot about the economics of creativity, and assigning of value, the artist as a commodity, the new york art scene being pretty much the apex of everything I am uncomfortable with about being an artist. More reasearch to do, maybe comgas will develop some kind of action or manifesto.
It's much more enjoyable being here this time, having people to stay with, a cool 'hood to hang out in, and old friends to meet, but still haven't really cashed in on the wish-fulfilment after all those years of dreaming about going back to new york, still haven't had my breath taken away with one of those, 'ohmigod here I am' moments. maybe later.

Sunday, August 18, 2002

2:34 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Hoags Corner, NY
brief highlights of my stay with branda, masha and steve
cat falling through the trailer skylight
paddleboat and swimming in lake burden with kathy, branda and marsha
recording green island bridge in troy, new york - birthplace of uncle sam
making zydeco pickled beans, buckets of pesto, zucchini bread straight out of the garden
toe in bloodied decapitated neck of mouse while making pancakes
on the way out the door to a picnic in cherry plains state forest, then train to new york city

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

1:32 PM
Posted by jodi rose

A quick note, to say last night I made it to the Jacques Cartier bridge here in Montreal, a beautiful sea-green steel structure. There's something very lovely about making the trip out to each bridge, orienting myself in the city, working out how to get there, and then that moment of walking onto the approach and rising up above the traffic and chaos of buildings, it's charged with excitement and possibility. Someone asked me about the philosophical reading of my choosing to record bridges, was there any significance in it? I think, yes, it is the freedom of being between two worlds, not caught in either, moving across and through the world with lightness and never quite knowing where it will take me, but following the winds of chance wherever they blow. Anyway, the bridge was closed to cars, bicycles and pedestrians at 8.30 pm, when it became a silent ghost of the rattling, syncopated freeform composition which was happening in peak hour traffic. The workmen in their yellow hardhats started emerging from rickety wooden platforms under the roadway, strange lights and sounds appeared underfoot - it was very mysterious and a little spooky. Not nearly as scary as the Mont Royal park the night before, where I didn't quite get to the glowing cross on the hill as it was already dark and I'm not good in isolated woods on my own in the dark. Looked out at the city fromt he chateu, but much prefer the view from the bridge. (there's a song in there somewhere!)
Going down to Albany in New York state tomorrow, with a packed schedule of media art, zydeco music, filming and gardening.

Monday, August 12, 2002

6:14 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Invited the boys to make a special guest appearance in my journal, but they're still working up to the public life. I can however share with you their latest obsession: camel toe. We asked the shop assistants if levi's had the new 'camel' style jeans; they said "not in canada". if you don't know what it is either, you need the camel toe report www.cameltoe.org know the toe!

Monday, August 12, 2002

6:14 AM
Posted by jodi rose

sunday lunch
menu: Nigel's roast tomato and peppers gazpacho
Chirs' Blueberry Custard Pie with schmecks appeal
Palm Beach white wine spritzers
music: Manitoba "Brave new wave # 2"
Jay jay Johanson "Whiskey"
reading: New York Times on Sunday
recipe: gazpacho
1. roast peppers (capsicums) on tray, tomotoes with garlic, (preferably organically grown and hand picked from a farm in the catskill mountains) onion, rosemary, oregano, and a little oil
2. blend with salt, pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar
3. chill

delicious!!!!

Sunday, August 11, 2002

2:00 AM
Posted by jodi rose

mont royal
taking it easy on a slow saturday morning, reading the paper, eating more bagels. Had an exhuasting 2 days accidentally shopping, along St Laurent where the directional fashion is, and some cool 2nd hand shops. Still haven't made it to see j.lo's fashion range - but no doubt it will be a disappointment when I get there. Have a stylin new hairdo from Gloria at Salon Royal - it's a long way from her Salon Gold days in collingwood, but she still does a rockin' cut and colour. Almost ready to face new york again. Went out to the (happening club) 'parking' in the village the other night, with chirs, nigel and gordie - started out with great music, deep grungey dirty industrial beats, but then as the place got packed it evolved into a mush of girl punk and dance anthems. Great range of out there people, goth-glam-gay-grunge, all kinds of scenes mixed in together. I wasn't allowed downstairs to the cruisin' bar, male only, but apparently not much was happening.
I'm keen to go up Mont Royal and drink champagne under the glowing cross.
The city here is very ugly, but streets in the hood are lovely, every house stairs outside, leading to a balcony with stairs outside, there are lots of cats and people hanging out watching the world go by.

Thursday, August 08, 2002

12:47 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Waverley
Another lush day in montreal, drinking campari on the balcony, fantastic soundtrack courtesy nigel - todays choice is precyz from lisbon '5607805000034' and mum 'finally we are no one' - go out and buy them now! Cruised downtown to the shopping district in search of j.lo's range, but at the wrong mall so will try again tomorrow. Wandered through the old city, over some twisted metal rails and concrete down to the river and the boys played with remote control sailing boats, and lay on the grass in the sun. Twilight bike ride along the railtracks, past abandoned and working industrial area, lots of sexy factory equipment and graffiti. Usually I hate urban primitive tribal drumming, but stumbled onto a fantastic group practising marching band drums with a cool syncopated twist under a bridge - rockin!

Wednesday, August 07, 2002

3:47 AM
Posted by jodi rose

montreal
crept up the stairs at 2am and crashed out on the couch in darkness, thinking I hope this is the right place. then morning came and here are crick and nigel and gordie, have been chilling out making dinner and pancakes and talking ever since. Must leave the house one of these days - it's a relief to be in charge of my own time again, no fuedal farm lord giving orders - but now have lost that particular focus and am just mooching around.
We have one activity planned for today, but not sure exactly what it is. Catching up on overdue emails and admin project stuff, a week in the country and it gets so far behind. The sexy quebec customs officer tried to take my garlic off me at the border, but since it was midnight and I pleaded with him and offered to clean all the dirt off, he finally let me through. Next time, leave it in ny they said - remarks on my border crossing card: "garlic with dirt."
When we got to nyc it was too much like being shopgirl in a store, so wandered around for the afternoon (somehow being given orders in the country is different!). But it was too hot and strangely disappointing after dreaming about going back for 12 years, the energy of the city just wasn't as vibed and exciting as I had imagined. Maybe it was the heat, or contrast with being out in the fields and mountains, (labour camp notwithstanding - ok okay so I am exagerating a little for dramatic effect, and the farmer is really a very charismatic, generous and totatelly awesome person.... just a little fierce at times) New York was just another big crowded dirty expensive city, full of people and sucking out cash. Found the commericalism overwhelmingly crass - maybe not speaking the language in other places has shielded me from it there, but nyc is built on commerce and it shows. The farm festival on Ave B was fun, lots of the old guys hanging out on the street come and help unload the truck, and sit around talking crap, while Tovey makes a big bucket of salad and roast beets and potatoes to feed people. Hanging out in the old Alphabet City on the lower east side is pretty cool. Checked out Brooklyn, and a very hip cafe called halcyon, with retro 70's furniture, lamps and zines that plays and sells great hip-hop - after all the bad german variety, it's good to hear some of the original. (Although now I've read in the nytimes on sunday that 'black rock'n'roll' is the really happening, latest expressive music since hip-hop is too constraining and stereotyped, with rock you can really express everything, dreams, vulnerability... will have to check it out)

Monday, August 05, 2002

12:47 AM
Posted by jodi rose

fantastic night drive back from ken's bbq, past the llama farm and over the mountain in the back of the yellow chevy. lying in the truck looking up at the stars, absolutely amazingly sublime. stretching out into space, with trees framing galaxies into filmic flashes, cold but gorgeous. the barns here are wild, size of one and a half olympic swimming pools, two storey, ken's full of intricately patterned stone shapes and john's big steel twisted sculpture things.
took the ferry to staten island in new york, past the statue of liberty, and finally saw the brooklyn bridge - so much smaller than I imagined, but very beautiful. going up to montreal soon, once I get free of the feudal lord on the farm.... time to go back to the fields, red clay, garlic, sun, weeds.......arrghhggggghhghghgh!!