TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

  

VIEWING ALL POSTS FOR: MAY 2002

Friday, May 31, 2002

9:09 PM
Posted by jodi rose

It is with great difficulty and much sadness that I have set my internal bakelite travel switch to "leaving berlin" and started the ghastly process of packing. Again. It keeps switching back but I am being firm. So, after finally having made it to the Glienicke Brücke, the spell is broken. I can now leave Berlin. Not that I want to, having fallen in love with the city and (for a minute in an asbtract philsophical moment) with one of the passing beautiful young men, but as staying would entail finding work either teaching english or in an irish pub, I have succumbed to an unusual attack of common sense and decided to finish the current world bridge tour and then plan to come back. Sometime.


So today is my last day here. A friend asked me "why do you want to stay in berlin? Is it real, what you see in this city, or in your head?" Of course it is my perception, the sense of wonder and magic comes and goes, while the city stays the same. And if you live here, then it is just life and you go about your daily business. My dream is to always be open to chances of beauty and strange joy, but sometimes you need a rest from living with heightened intensity and to just be doing stuff. What I find in Berlin is the constant promise of magic; whether it is fulfilled or not depends on chance, my state of mind, the fluffballs in the air, whatever. Or maybe it is like media art and it promises far more than it can ever deliver. I found the column in Zitty of people looking for strangers they had glimpsed on the S&U Bahn, (lots of" me, blue jacket, jeans, brown hair - you, blonde with a group of friends U7 monday 18.26pm" etc) trying to chase lost opportunities, so now I know that it is only my naivete which makes it seem like everyone acts on the moment here.


And as Oscar Wilde says in the short story about a nightingale,a student and a red rose (given to me by a boy) "what a silly thing love is, it is not half as useful as logic, for it does not prove anything, and it is always telling one of things that are not going to happen and making one believe things that are not true. In fact, it is quite unpractical, and as in this age to be practical is everything I shall go back to philosophy and study metaphysics."


There is a video clip, I never worked out who by or what the song is, but it has a girl walking the streets of new york carrying an enormous red heart as tall as she is, which she can barely get her arms around. People stare at her strangely she waits for the lights to change or struggles to get it onto the subway. Over time, she becomes sad, gradually the heart shrinks, until it is the size of a football and then a boy notices her and says, "is that your heart? It's very big".
She tells him, "no, it's very small." They make a date and when he comes to pick her up she is sitting on the steps of her apartment, holding this enormous heart which has grown huge again and is as big as her. He sees this and runs away.


Anyway, you know this story. I'm not referring to a particular experience, more a general feeling. Of being too raw and intense and passionate, no perspective, all the filters have been lifted and there is no way back into the functioning, everyday world. So, off I go again into the world lugging around spare organs and bags full of bus tickets. Travel detritus, it's really not ever going to be interesting is it?, whatever I do with it.

Thursday, May 30, 2002

9:48 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Oh migod! Am actually in potsdam, nearly at the glienicke brücke. May even make it to the bridge. And the theme song for today is bridge over troubled water. yes, it had to happen sooner or later. Heard it on the radio twice today, so that must be a sign. For anyone unfamiliar with the sheer poetic beauty of the lyrics, allow me to share with you: "shine on silver girl, your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way...." da da dada "like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down like a bridge..." ok ok you get the picture. So the crazy shining girl is well a little concerned actually. What if all your dreams really did come true. It could get quite confusing, and surrealistic. Especially the ones with drowning cities and rampaging wild animals and people who are not exactly who they are.


People seem to expect me to applaud all kinds of crazy schemes, but all I can say is NO, don't follow your dreams! It only leads to trouble. more later...........


So, this is later. It is good to get back on the bridge. Looking forward to finally making it to Brooklyn and San Francisco. After dreaming for 6 to 7 years, of travelling the world recording bridges. Here I am. When I spoke to the beautiful Sole, at home in the oasis where I stayed in January setting this whole thing up, she said "I can't believe you're out there, actually doing it." Neither can I. It is very strange when you chase your dreams and they become reality. Which is why I say, no don't follow your dreams, it won't make you happy. You are much better off with them as something to hope for, look forward to, embellish, enjoy in the purity of your imagination. Once you catch them, they become the dust of your daily reality, broken shards that cut your feet as you over them doing whatever mundane task you have that day. Ok, so that sounds pessimistic, but really, if you have a job, and a house and maybe a partner, some friends, just enjoy life, plan a holiday, be present. Maybe I am always hoping for a transformation, into the brighter, more vivid, lucid, higher version of myself that seems to exist just over there. And there is no instant upgrade. You have the same doubts and insecurities and nothing becomes any clearer and there are still opportunities that pass you by, no matter how vigilant and alert you may think you are being to following the energy of a moment. Some mornings I wake up giggling, like the girl in a champagne ad in australia, who is made entirely of bubbles. That is how I feel sometimes, just overflowing with ebullience for no particular reason. Mentally deranged or joi de vivre?


Re-reading the Dalai Lama, on happiness, and yes all it takes is to be compassionate and honest with everyone you come into contact, not give yourself grief over suffering or get lost in guilt or regret, accept change is the only constant, and I can't remember the rest. Piece of cake! Bianca asked me, what would it take for you to be 10% happier, right now? (the ratio that day was 30% ok, 70% bad) my first answer she said no no no, you can't leave it to chance that is not good. So then it was something like, well, if I got some work done, maybe did the audio conversion to mp3 and sent off the files I promised, and wrote some postcards, decided where I wanted to be, and stopped giving myself such a hard time, that would definitely increase the ratio. Make it so!
Easy. Now it is time to go take my daily art.

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

11:11 PM
Posted by jodi rose

It's been a while, I thought you would be happy that I was out living, and not in front of the computer every day, but no, I have had complaints! and I quote:
> message: sista you been slack over there? i want your crazy psycho
> babble rant on your life - mine is terribly sane and uncomplicated at
> the moment... so what are you doing? or maybe your just fucking out there???
..... ok, you asked for it, I can feel a long spiel coming on.


But first a little self and other promotion, this website is now part of the Rhizome Artbase, preserved as an item of 'potential historical significance' ( I like that.... a lot!) for all of posterity and humanity to see what the hell 'new media art' was! So, ok you're already on the website, but hey go check it out anyway - http://rhizome.org/artbase/artists_A-Z.rhiz
And while on the subject, there appears to be a movement to do away with artists all together, very prominent in Berlin (and it's no wonder the place is crawling with them much like lice) I have met one non-new.media artist (ironic as he works with interactive immersive video and stage environments) who said something along the lines of - "give them all an imac and send them off somewhere else" and also gave me the wonderful phrase "it looks like...... media art". And then another young man who professes to be a carpenter, while developing interactive cinematic screening techniques - everyone needs to re-read aldous huxley at this point and go visit the 'feelies' - who gave me an extremely hard time about being an artist, even though I made no such claim and made every effort to avoid succumbing to that particular label. But at least, in retaliation I got him up and dancing to some latin american music, poor boy. However, I would just like to state for the record that this project is a piece of extremely serious scientific research into the "acoustic environment of architecture with specific reference to elevated super-structures" and that there is no cultural content whatsever. Discontent, yes, content, no. And I agree that all artists should be sent off with their imacs to live in ireland, (i will happily volunteer) which I believe is very green and misty and contains bottomless (and legless) veins of guinness, which should make them all soggy and shut them up.


So, now we have that cleared up, on with the ads. The next project I would like to promote is the tape migration music found at http://www.magneticmigration.net/
Next time you see any loose cassette tape lying on the footpath, pick it up and send it to Magnetic Migration Music, TV1 Duncan of Jordanstone, Perth rd, Dundee DD1 4HT Scotland where it will become part of this gorgeous work about seeking asylum, crossing borders, and drifting in the wind. Australian contributions sought in particular - hmmm yes such a wonderful record we have on treatment of asylum seekers.
That's all for the serious intellectual content, now we go back to the internal incessant swirling pyschedelic fairy floss that is the inside of jodi's head. Here are some musings from the vaults of the last however many days it is I don't know they all seem to last forever and the nights too. I'm well and truly in the Berlin spin, every time I think I've had enough of this big dirty hard old city I'm lonely and broke and tired and want to go visit some old friends on the other side of the world, it throws something wonderful and unexpected and köstlich (delicious) my way and enchants me all over again. Kind of like falling in love. I think. but then I do that every second day too, so who can say what anything is anymore?????


from this morning, a plea to the goddesses of the universe who arrange these things: I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE BERLIN! PLEASE FIND A WAY FOR ME TO STAY!!!!!
This week I have been struggling with issues of artistic credibility - neatly dissolved now by never having been or in the least likelihood of ever becoming an artist - and wondering if this would be a more compelling read if I start including all the nitty gritty nasty lurking demons that leap out and attack me from time to time. had a dream last week in fact of various wildebeests tearing strips of flesh off while I tried to escape. It gets vicious in here sometimes. And reading henry miller (as you do - ah to be down and out in paris and berlin, what more can one ask of life????) who points out that it is very easy to be alone if you are a poor and unsuccessful artist, the trick is in being lonely. So, as a poor and potentially becoming slightly more successful artist, (damn! that just slipped out but I reserve the right to complete inconsistency and downright contradicting myself...... it comes with the territory) who is sometimes lonely - although I must project some aura of always being on the way to somewhere more glamourous and exciting, because no-one ever believes me when I say that - I wonder if there is any interest at all in confessing one's doubts and insecurities. The abyss of self-loathing, the plumeting self-esteem, the conviction that it really is all a hideous waste of time (mine) and money (other peoples), that I'm a fraud, a fake, a phoney, no-one ever calls, no-one emails (both ridiculous and untrue but never let the truth get in the way of a good self-flagellation) and I should just give it all up and go home and get an honest job in market research.


I think all that really needs to wait until you're an international über-artstar, fabulously wealthy, feted, own properties on 4 or 5 continents, appear at all the glitteriest parties and events, and then maybe there is some drama to be had from revealing that yes, you still fear failure (or success), and indeed, sometimes you stay at home and watch tv just like a regular person. I really hate that - oh no, I'm just like anyone else, except I can afford to do whatever the fuck I feel like whenever I want to and never have to work crappy jobs serving coffees or taking complaint calls again.
I'm not bitter, I'm still waiting for that million dollar cheque, maybe it's lost in the post with some of my wishes. Ayone have a spare laptop? wohnung in berlin? sound recordist, sound engineer and editor? my missing c-ducer microphones lost in transit between surrey and amsterdam? Although the Deutsche Post has been quite commendable with the delivery service for wishes, so I must applaud them on their supernatural abilities.
Anyway, where was I? Ah that's right, success, failure, loneliness, love, desire, chance, loss, hope, shopping, dancing, Berlin has it all!!!!!!! Somehow the best cure for whatever brand of melancholy, depression, ennui or crankiness has set in that week seems to be going out and dancing all night. I can't believe it's taken me so long to discover this. And berlin is fabulous because the later you go home, the more crowded the public transport is with similar revellers. the 5am tram on sunday was packed to the gills and very entertaining. So, after having to talk myself out of going home and being miserable on my own (sometimes fun others not so), I went to the birthday of sezina (no idea how to spell that) who is from peru and where ensued much latin american music, some live musicians, outrageous dancing with many gorgeous people, (I was complimented on my rythm in the merengue!) great food and incongruously enough, the afore-mentioned carpenter/cinematic genius. And it doesn't seem to matter so much anymore that I have no idea what I am doing here - yes, in general and in berlin in particular - except that it's making me happy when not driving me to despair and I don't want it to end. Had a quite strange experience on the street, which a resident assures me is 'very berlin', when a well-dressed middle aged woman accosted me and asked for telefonnen and when I pointed in the direction of a public telephone, asked for 50cents. having only about 2 euros to my name until the next day, I declined her request, at which point she berated me, saying "what are you doing in berlin, without geld, without telefonnen"?!!?? both good questions which I ask myself on a daily, if not hourly basis - but not anything that I felt I had to justify to her, so I said "actually it's none of your business lady", and walked off, feeling very bemused, while she continued to rant at me.


On Sunday night attended an open screening of surprisingly good films at the wonderful Club Tarakan, a gloriously decadent kitsch russian establishment, where I am assured that on other nights, cockroach racing takes place. The film audience was faced throughout by an elaborately stuffed, very furry and slightly pissed off looking large dog, who looked like it had just been insulted and was deciding where to pee, and also as though it was inflated, as one girl pointed out. And the films ranged from a strange therapy session for the actress from jaws, who had to get back in to the water in a controlled environment and swim around in the dark ( I drifted off and thought about becoming a scriptwriter during that one) to a doco on 3 deutsche in new york, which had a wonderful sense of the city, walking around finding performers on every street corner and telling the stories of the 3 germans; a shockingly bad video apparently about the making of a sex-video, entirely dialogue based which I couldn't understand, (luckily or I may have held up my red card to stop the screening), but looked pretty lame; the very funny 'Panic on brunnenstraße' with a lovely range of female characters who eventually turned on the men driving them crazy and marauded around the city as witches; and then it turned into the Sean Raylands evening, (UK artist living in berlin? from the accent) which was ok as his films were also hilarious. One was him in a bad blonde wig wandering around a forest with a glass of orange juice in a pinstripe jacket, 'we went to grunewald and I thought let's just see what happens', he said about that one, and another of every mishap you can imagine on a bad day, dropping the tomato juice, burning the toast, missing the u-bahn all punctuated by screams of impotent rage, and then 'sally is very sorry' an apocryphal, or maybe real, retro glam grunge 80's ish band doing really silly performances. So that was one of the magic evenings that make it very hard to leave.


Which just about brings us up to date. on the weekend I am leaving, but only temporarily, to party in Vienna with Bianca, go record the bridge in bratislava and then catch up with lizzie, mike, crick and nigel in london YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and record some more bridges maybe in bristol and newcastle maybe just london. Still haven't made it to Potsdam and die glienicke brücke, I think once I do that, it will be time to leave berlin so have been strangely incapable of making the trip. We'll see. More soon. love jodi.

Thursday, May 23, 2002

11:11 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Hey cool! just dicovered this project is listed on the social fictions website, where reality is a social de.construction.
http://www.socialfiction.org/
Now if I could just get to a few more bridges and the sponsors who were going to send me the extra snazzy microphones would come through with the goods..........

Thursday, May 23, 2002

9:53 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Today`s update comes to you again courtesy of udk Berlin, where I'm still schlepping around with nothing much to report, and the new york free biennial.
Where was I? what was I thinking? what a fantastic beautiful crazy wonderful idea! strange moments of art appearing randomly on the streets is always something that pierces my clouds of abstraction and whatever personal drama is playing in my head that day and reminds me that the world is full of possibility, wonder, magic and people doing whatever they can imagine. thanks to Peter from www.glowlab.com for telling me about the Free Biennial, 'exploring the gift economy' with free public art in New York, now that's what I call art!!!!!!!!!!


http://www.freewords.org/biennial/fbdir.html


"For the artist, the Free Biennial eliminates the selection process - the curator as gatekeeper or filter. It puts the question of participation in the hands of the artist, and throws open the question of value.
For the viewer, the safety of traditional curatorship and spectacle is removed, allowing an experience which is more direct, raw, and intimate. The city is transformed into a place of potential where any encounter could be an artistic one. Armed with a map and the idea that art might be anywhere, the viewer is invited to step into the shoes of what Baudelaire and the Situationists called the flâneur, the wanderer, ready to experience anything."
"It's a new way of looking at public space," says organizer Sal Randolph. "We've gotten used to seeing public space as either institutional or commercial. Here is a way for artists and viewers to operate together as as citizens, engaged with the life of the city. It holds out possibility for the values of generosity and civility, which we are so in need of at this time."


hear here!!!!!
http://www.freemanifesta.org/dir.html takes place in Frankfurt May-Aug 2002
http://www.freemanifesta.org/freelinks.html check it out for cool links to why culture wants to be free

Tuesday, May 21, 2002

10:48 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Listening to www.radiohelsinki.fi as I write, missing Helsinki again as I got the photos back today. You have to love the media labs at art schools - so plugged in, thanks to udk berlin for the resources! It's good to get some of the admin done, finally made it through the backlog of people who emailed with interest in participating or remixing bridge sounds. Great to hear from so many people all over the world, denmark, france, uk, portland, ny, hong kong, rovaniemi, everywhere, it seems except, strangely from Australia.oooops I lied there was one from the landscape architects institute in sydeny, inviting me to speak at a seminar. But even so, I don't think this is merely a matter of geography, but certainly confirms that I made the right decision to come overseas and connect with more bridges and people in other places. Things are starting to simmer gently with the project, the website has been accepted on the www.rhizome.org art database which is pretty cool, it's not up yet, but will be soon. Have had enquiries from media festivals and an invitiation to submit the work with a group of street level public space projects, so you never know it may keep going somewhere.
Also collected a fantastic gallery of web and digital art from the people who responded to my listing with various media art organisations, will give some of the addreses here when I find the time.


Managed to cure my berlin bout of sleeping sickness, strangely enough by staying out dancing until 5am with Bianca. We went first to a tragic event, lange nacht de soundsytems which was the afterparty for karnivel de kulturen and in the tempodrome. heaps of teenagers, and a strange mix of people with very mainstream stadium dj stars, each one had an entourage and lots of 'are you ready to parteeeee??' in various flavours of reggae, rap, hip-hop that were all pretty bland. So we left pretty quickly and went to the 'privat klub' in kreuzberg, completely opposite, small dark underground room with extremely hip people - and I am now cool. it says so on my wrist in green. Not sure what will happen when it fades though, I go back to being lukewarm maybe? Anyway, even the overload of european style chic with long legs and shiny hair couldn't stop me from having a great time and dancing til 5am. At least I made it to one cool berlin club, can cross that off the list.


had an overload of art, with an exhibition opening at jannowitz brücke, which took place in about 10 galleries under the railway there. amazing space, looking out over the river and about 500 uber-cool arty types, with some fab avant-garde performance. There was Anika, from Sweden with long blonde hair, very sexy who sang a range of repetitive minimalist lyrics accompanied on a casio keyboard, a kind of blander version of donna regina eg "I'm not in love with you I'm not in love with you I'm not in love with you I'm not in love with you I'm not in love with you what will I do I'm not in love with you" Wow! then a weird guy who seemed to be some kind of local star, with backing from a choral group and cheesy 80's samples and lame pop guitar. the kids seemed to love him and I don't think it was ironic. My, am I feeling cynical!


Some of the art invited more interactivity, one piece in particular was a video of green glass bottles being smashed on the floor, it took all my self control not to join in with my beer bottle. ah kunst there is a reason I avoid the art world. one of the genres you could select on the rhizome form was anti-art, so now the alternative is establishment. Doesn't take long I guess. and it's been around a while.


Hah, Beate who is a native Berliner, agrees with me that the german way of telling time is ridiculous and to say half 10 when you actually mean half past 9 makes no sense at all.


Here is some random poetry from babel at www.391.org
the third loan:


crushed ice-pop flavour


dodge the corrections of an incorrect mind,


she seemed dangerous today:


rich, comedic, harmonic, sassy


spookster. a jitterbug cries wolf.

Saturday, May 18, 2002

8:09 PM
Posted by jodi rose

So, it is beautiful here today, the sun is shining, spring is in the air and my flat is filled with lovely women trying on outrageous costumes and masks for the Karnivale de Kulturen tomorrow. And I am thinking about unmade connections and absence, how something as simple as telling the time can reveal cultural difference, create unnecessary frustration and gaps in the flow of communication. And also about presence, how you carry with you the love and connections with many people, some at a greater distance than others, but their resonance carries on far beyond mere physical proximity. Then there is the physical presence of the people who come into your life now, in the neighbourhood, as you move on they too become virtual presences, on a screen or only in memory. So that connecting with the presence in this moment, of this place or this person, becomes essential. Or else they slip by and you are left wondering, searching, dreaming about the possibilities - as so many of us are prone to do. And it is surely more fulfilling to live with real people than with dreams. There is some relationship here to the presence of the voice of bridges, that is unheard over the years, but when you listen to it has no past or future, it is only the resonance of the sounds that exist in that moment.



It is interesting travelling on the S & U bahn system here, as it is so vast and traverses so many disparate communities and locations that it seems you are very unlikely to run into people or see the same person twice. Maybe in the accumulation of daily routines this does happen, but not like the good old no. 11 tram down brunswick st, where you could be assured of seeing the same tired faces, or running into friends on a regular basis. And then weave complex fantasies and dreams about who the people might be, without ever taking the chance of connecting and finding out something of their reality. It is so random, the mix of people you meet, and the chances of meeting them again very small - so you must leap at each one, as richard tells me to.



So maybe that is something that contributes to the attitude of take the moment, take a chance, make the most of every meeting and opportunity by acting on it then and there, which is strangely lacking in australia. I think - someone please tell me its different! Also if anyone has any spare patience they could teleport, my supply is running very low and needs replenishing. Everything still happens so slowly, I want to be out on more bridges more more more and I want it NOW! But then, paradoxically I also want to slow down and live at a less whirlwind pace, allow life to unfold gradually and not have so much compressed into this tiny space of weeks.



I think the yoga helps to clear away the stores of memory from my bones and muscles, release the build up of old emotional responses and experiences. Every day you accumulate more emotions, experiences and I don`t want these to calcify into hard narrow thoughts and expectations or assumptions. I want to start each day clear and fresh so I can be present and respond to the moment I am in now, not filter it through the memory of some past hurt or disappointment or excitement or joy. These are just some of the many thoughts flickering through my mind. Now will go out and enjoy the sunshine and stop with the thinking, "you think too much," ma used to tell me, "it`s dangerous!" Now I start to see why.

Friday, May 17, 2002

3:59 AM
Posted by jodi rose

today I am cranky and the only new people I meet are sleazy men; old and young who leer at me in the street. I really hate that. tired of being relentlessly optimistic and cheerful and finding wonder in the world, now that it has stopped swirling around me everything is gritty and getting under my skin.
It is difficult to stay floating through life and keep the work moving ahead with these cast iron shoes on. All my bad moods erased from the last 6 weeks came to visit me at once today. went swimming at the pool in görlitzer park and the chlorine dried out my skin, it cost 6 euros for 3 hours (and 5 for 1 hour) - what is this timed swimming business??? I miss the ocean at bronte and being able to walk through the park and dive into the fresh salty water, play in the waves and be warmed by the sun. maybe australia really is paradise, if you have the money, and the time to enjoy it - but lord it's a long long long way away. not homesick so much as feel like there is all this possibility and I am working towards it, but is just out of reach and eludes my searching hands. Have the cd of bridge samples now, but german post is so incredibly expensive, will need people to send me the cash before I can send them. boring admin work, sometimes it is soothing others irritating. Now need to find su, who has disappeared and go into the art school here to upload the sounds to internet. then you can hear them and find out exactly what these crazy bridges sound like. what are they saying, someone asked me today (or was it yesterday?) I don't know, I don't speak their language. But maybe we can find a pattern in there somewhere or just revel in the absolute strangeness of it. It is still intriguing to have nothing make any sense to me, but there are moments of frustration. Frank suggested the universal language could be sign language, as there are less differences between countries than spoken words.
Also worried about the extreme amount of sleeping that has overtaken me, I could sleep until midday, every day if not dragged up by the need to do something. Frank also suggested the project be changed to `Sleeping Bridges', or `Sleeping under Bridges' for a bit of that real-life urban flavour. Can usually manage to get out of bed by around 8am, but maybe it is still the jetlag from the first crazy six weeks of this travel. Tuike told me in an email, it is very easy to get on a plane and go somewhere else, but sometimes you need to stay where you are. Which can be challenging when you are infected with the desire to keep moving and not get dragged down into the chaotic messy reality of life on the ground.

Tuesday, May 14, 2002

12:32 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Oh no the collecting has started again. Went to a flea market on sunday and came home with toaster, shoes, a small hippo toy that came with the toaster, a skirt....... so much for the minimal lifestyle. Have just discovered a dangerous Dr Hauscka beauty products addiction - ohhh it's so cheap here. Still waiting for the bridge philanthropists to appear, until then thanks again to all my sponsors!
It is an amazing space to be in, out here in the world living something that was a dream for so long. Doesn't erase all doubts or low points but sure as hell helps. Found the berlitz german phrase book today, so am hoffnungsvoll of achieving my aim to read heidegger in the original by the end of the month. No, don't ask why - he has some lovely things to say about bridges. the bridge creates a location, where heaven and earth, divinities and mortals are admitted - or words to that effect.
And for all the new dreams and desires, Bianca told me a lovely story about a friend who writes her wishes down and then posts them randomly in the yellow mailboxes, so that if it doesn't happen there was a problem with the delivery. I wonder what the mail sorters make of them.

Monday, May 13, 2002

2:55 AM
Posted by jodi rose

****Warning philosophical rant approaching****
Every time I come home to my new flat it is more beautiful. The people in the park are constantly entertaining, swimming pool beckons, the sun shines in the windows there is miles of sky to watch, and I can't quite believe my luck. It will be nice to have Edmundo home too, his masks are incredible, and it is not good to be alone too much.
But every day I meet new people and it seems that the man in the cafe was right when he said `anything is possible in berlin' in a very david lynch moment. Have freaked out a bit - ohmigod what was I thinking this is crazy! but you get that. And it is terrifying when you take a risk, as you have no idea how anything will turn out - but that's being alive and it's good to get everything wrong sometimes and not know how it all works. I think it is too easy to sink into our routines of predictable events and close the doors on the strange and challenging worlds of being uncertain, not knowing the answers. Unless you put yourself out there and just keep asking the questions, you will never know what may be possible or who you might become. It's a journey, a process with no explanations or guarantees and we are here such a short time. It is the only responsibility we have to be truthful to our hearts desires and souls deepest wishes, to be responsible for our actions and open to life, to let people affect and change us. To take risks, be brave maybe foolish but the fools of angels. As the divine richard said, ``just be ready to leap at whatever chance comes your way.... (and) ...your voice is like a fresh ocean breeze''.


On a more pragmatic note:
There will be sound uploaded somewhere soon for all the people who have been asking when can they can hear more. Please be patient with me, as access to equipment takes time to arrange. And Berlin is not the place to try and get anything done in a hurry. Especially not when you come over all philosophical.

Thursday, May 09, 2002

9:20 PM
Posted by jodi rose

yesterday went to the site of an old brown coal mine at Lausitz in east
germany, that is being redeveloped by IBA, international architects
bauausstellung (??) to transform the mining area into ecological and
cultural landscapes. they are filling up some of the mines with water to
become lakes and currently take tour groups to see them in their still
ravaged state. The mining bridge F60 was absolutely incredible - it is, as
the brochure says, longer than the eiffel tower, (320m) lying on its site.
the bridge is 500m long and absolutely ludicrous, as it goes from nowhere
to nowhere and is used for nothing. my favourite!!! the story is that is
was built in 1989-1991 with the latest technologies and can dig holes
60metres deep in one go, so moves a lot of coal. but it was only used for
11 months since when germany reunified, all the brown coal mines were
closed and west german black coal and oil used. so then the bridge sat there
destined for the scrap heap for 10 years, until the local town decided to preserve
it - and bought it for 1 mark (ie $1 au) then spent 9 million marks moving it and making it safe etc.
so we walked up to the top - very high, got dizzy and made some lovely recordings of the
old metal castors for the conveyor belts spinning around.
have a look at the websites below - I also met with the head of SEE(IBA) Rolf Kohn, who
was lovely and very interested in my project - they also have artists doing
stuff with the landscape and bridge there.


www.f60.de
www.iba-fuerst-pueckler-land.de


Today I moved into my new flat. It is ausgesucht, choice! So exciting to have my own room again for a minute. It is the home of Edmundo, a peruvian mask artist who is away a lot, so I can enjoy the huge bath and sunny kitchen and maybe do some writing and art in my room overlooking gorlitzer park in kreuzberg. The park is fatnastic, there is a turkish style forum, swimming pool with waves, small circus - kinder und junge, a kids farm with animals and no doubt much much more. Have been learning some german from the wörterbuch, aber mein grammatik ist zehr schlecht und pronounciation gräasslich!
Today is drunken fathers day, so have been advised to avoid the parks as the men traditionally all go out and get drunk. Arrived in peak holiday drinking season, evidently.

Tuesday, May 07, 2002

2:27 AM
Posted by jodi rose

There is too much to do in berlin to leave now, and over 2000 bridges to play. So maybe I will stay a little longer, find a bicycle and a room of my own and just hang out. Can't understand why everyone is still busy all the time, everywhere from sydney to hanoi to helsinki to berlin. busy busy busy. I'm here to tell you all to chill out, take time off, enjoy the roses! Such an australian attitude, I forget that people have to work hard. Now coming to appreciate the quality of life that is so taken for granted in melbourne (have to work a bit harder in sydney, more of that 'busy' craziness.) But then I guess it has been constant travel for me which is just as crazy. Told Beatte yesterday the itinerary and she was exhausted just listening. All in all it might be a good idea to stop here and let it all setttle, filter through some of the experiences. And play with sounds.
Made it to 3 bridges today, yes 3. They were all within 1/2 km and one was an E/W bridge which I am told is the first place the east berliners could leave when the announcement came on the radio that people were free to travel. I like that story, it was not through the usual hierarchical channels that the order came down, but someone (from the govt) said it on the radio and then it was all happening on the streets.
Had a hair appointment today, new colour is hellbraun mahogonie rot. I like that, hell brown! It was very cool to be in the hairdresser and watch the world go by.
Am already a local in my favourite cafe, and they give me discounts on coffee, not bad for 3 visits. Bianca who works there is from bratislava, she lent me a book to find out where to go when there, but now it may not be for a little while longer. Also she told me her grandparents warned her not to even cross that bridge, let alone loiter on it. She said people are very poor and you need to be careful. So maybe find someone else to come along. We'll burn that bridge when we get to it! (thanks for that frank!)
There you have it. A day in berlin and everything can change. Had a vodka in the cafe up the road from where I met Olivier on may day, and a woman at the bar invited me to a special ounge sound design party at treptower Park, she even gave me the S+U Bahn map to find it. which is helpful here when it takes 3 maps to work out where I am, where I am going and how to get there. One has trams but no streets, another s + u bahn and the other is the street directory. crazy.
So now I need a bicycle, a room and a few german lessons.

Sunday, May 05, 2002

6:54 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Now I am having scherz! Stumbled on a very fabulous cafe/bar with faded glamour red and gold chaise lounges, playing ambientish electronica, inlaid brass tables and cool grunge arty clientele. die Wohnzimmer - hunde mussen draussen bleibe! which frank tells me translates as the lounge room and very hip. of course. The food is amazing, breakfast comes with the bread rolls in a cloth bag and a platter filled with fruit, 4 kinds of cheese, salad and chocolates. anywhere that serves chocolate with your bread and jam is fine by me! By far the most fantastic thing about east berlin is the ping pong tables in most of the parks, they're made of stone with metal nets and people play at them - I so want to have a game.
Invited to dinner at Olivier's, with a group of people doing something to do with theatre - I never worked out exactly what - but watched a german theatre workshop broadcast on tv, a little melodramatic and lots of arty camera mixing, but quite entertaining. Keep thinking that if I listen really hard will start to understand what people are saying in german, but still nothing makes sense. Just have to study one day. Slowly starting to get my head around Berlin, can find my way to favourite cafes, found the guggenheim - a bit disappointing, only one room but the bill viola installation of digital video was mesmerising. Also went to an opening at kunstwerken on augustraße, with 5 floors of art, the most engaging being right up in the loft where the 'bed of film' was playing. 12 very snazzy monitors playing classic films, the searchers, a marguerite duras short which I watched 4 times just for the lush violin music and languid voice over with gorgeous shots of paris, and 12 futons which you could lie on. That's always the best art, when it provides some comfort and rest with the experience.
So, today maybe trying to find the spy bridge, or else a game of pingpong (tisch)

Friday, May 03, 2002

5:33 AM
Posted by jodi rose

The aches are slowly fading, bring on the nightlife Berlin!
Anyone have some cool suggestions for places to hang out here?

Thursday, May 02, 2002

11:44 PM
Posted by jodi rose

remind me not to become a journalist. well it would be hard with such a subjective writing style, but then is it even possible to be actually objective? any writing is filtered through the eyes and mind and perspective and experience of the person writing, rumours of the death of the author have been greatly exaggerated!
Anway, I digress - which was exactly the point - just tell the story girl. Wandered down to kreuzberg to see the may day party last night, and the at first outbreak of rock throwing, I'm outta there! Frank assures me it was all left-wing anti authority protesters, but I swear I saw some scary looking youths with white sholaces - apparently the code for fascist racists, while the left-wing skinheads out for a fight wear red shoelaces. Since I'd just changed mine to the funky orange ones from a russian stallholder in helsinki market, was a bit worried that could be mistaken and swept up into some conflict. Managed to get out and past the police barricades before anything too hectic, the entire suburb was pretty much locked down, endless stream of cop vans, wagons, water canons, army trucks lining the streets outside the 'battle zone'.
Berlin is huge and a bit overwhelming, there's lots going on no doubt, it's just finding it.
After surviving countless motorbike rides in vietnam with no helmet, totally inadequate clothes and crazy traffic, somehow fell off the bicycle I was riding - well it was the brakes failing that did it couldn't stop going downhill when the lights turned red, and better to have a few grazes - they look like stigmata, sonic bridge martyr! - and bruises than be hit by a car. Have never been so accident prone - blame the jetlag, hope it passes soon.

Wednesday, May 01, 2002

7:20 PM
Posted by jodi rose

I'm in Berlin! Vittu Mageeta!!!!!!! Managed to sleep through 200 riot police outside the window last night, as the partying for May Day was taking place in Prinzlaeur berg and the park nearby. I love that moment when you arrive in a new place and it is totally foreign, walk around the streets and nothing is familiar, in a few days you start to make patterns and things look normal again. Those first few hours, or day when it is all strange and new and you're an enormous pair of eyes sucking in all this new stimulus and information. wicked! Going to visit one of the mining bridges outside Berlin on monday, and recording the old spy bridge here whose name I can't remember. Gielicke bridge. Time to go out and check if the may day riots have started yet.
Found a chilled out street party with jazz band playing and fantastic grand marnier crepes. yum. then wandered up to alexanderplatz where the traditional may day demo is held. the blue hand project were there, promoting acceptance of diversity and tolerance by painting people's hand blue to give you an experience of difference . I declined a blue hand on the grounds that I already am different.
Forgot the Oresund bridge in copenhagen is my first miss. Absolutely could not get onto it, for a start the approach is through a tunnel underwater - had to keep the baltic shipping lanes open - in which walking and cycling strictly forbidden. So there is a train, first stop Malmo on the other side (I guess not that many people want to go to the middle of a bridge and get out, can't think why not!) or else get a taxi and ask them to stop and risk getting fined and towed away while I dash up to a cable and slap on a contact mike. Played on some big metal tubes at the airport instead ;) at least I can amuse myself - very glad not to be spending a night in copenhagen after that.