TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

  

VIEWING ALL POSTS FOR: FEBRUARY 2004

Friday, February 27, 2004

10:53 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Today's weather forecast is philosophical cloud cover, with a passing emotional squall.
Realising that this time is all about being light in the world - fluid, flexible, moving swiftly and gently through days and places, living gracefully. Courage, Grace and Love - Chris Cordeaux showed me written on a wall in Jon Bondi photographer's apartment, when I was 14.
Every day I am learning to let go more, especially of the need to be anything for other people, to be appealing and 'nice' and compliant.
You wouldn't necessarily imagine it, from someone who appears totally focused on his or her own goals, but I can be very people pleasing.
An 11 metre steel bridge in the Ukraine was dismantled and stolen last week. Sometimes the metal is worth more than the bridge, to some people at least. I guess that's how life it.
And sometimes the 'issues' are worth more than the friendship. A little sad, had a painful break-up with a friend yesterday afternoon. I won't go into too much detail, but he is someone who can be incredibly inspiring and encouraging, supportive, creative, loving, joyful and generally gorgeous. He believed in me when I couldn't completely believe in myself, and was struggling to imagine the full scope of this idea and doubted that I could actually make it happen. Since then, he's drifted into a strange paranoid hermit existence, and let me down too many times. When I tried to express how sad and upset I was by his unwillingness or inability to make any kind of effort in the friendship at all, he got angry and told me I wasn't allowed to be upset with him. Since then things have been fraught and distant between us, and yesterday all the unspoken subtext imploded in an exchange about returning an item I had borrowed. Basically ending the friendship. I know very well that I can be trying at times, self-absorbed and over-emotional, have wildly fluctuating energy and enthusiasm, and expect too much from friends, especially in terms of being present and emotionally available. But it's absolutely crucial that people tell you when they're pissed off or upset with you - don't fester on it and stew for months, or years and then create a drama that is totally out of proportion with the situation. The only other major falling out I have had is due to a similar thing. Essentially I think people need to be more emotionally honest, upfront and learn to take responsibility for their own happiness and disappointment, love and fear, sadness and joy. Myself included, it's all a learning process.
Although in general I'm ridiculously empathetic, caring and sensitive to other people's moods, needs and desires, there is a chance of contracting Famous Artist Syndrome (ref: NY Aug 2002) where you expect everyone in the vicinity to run around indulging your every whim. But I think if detected early and and monitored it can be kept under control by ongoing preventative measures, without drastic treatment.
And I am extremely grateful for the incredible blessings and abundance of the universe, in no danger of taking all these amazing opportunities and wonderful people for granted.
Talking with Bridget last night about life and how you can sit back and go where it takes you, not quite keeping up - a failure of the imagination - or actively take part in creating the path you're on, imagine yourself into the life you dream of, and live your passions.
That's all going in the self-help book I'm writing, after the 'stories behind the bridge songs' romance/adventure/travel book. If anyone can recommend a publisher for the latter, please contact me!

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

3:26 PM
Posted by jodi rose

It's all very.... existential here today. Being..... and time. Remarkable challenge just being upright - think those 2 weeks in Sydney have worn me out already. Not to mention all the strain of organising work for a performance and exhibition in Helsinki, and now Stockholm as well. In the Sauna gallery, which sounds promising!
Dreaming of crawling into bed in crisp white hotel sheets and doing nothing except yoga for a week, ordering room service and taking long baths. Mmmmmmm.
Doing this 'locative media' workshop next month has got me thinking about location - how the place where you ARE is central in defining certain aspects of your daily life - from the people you see and food you eat to the expectations you have of the world. And no matter how far you stretch out into the world via the internet, telephone, books, or tv, you are still where you are. It's one of the central themes of my life right now - that struggle to come to terms with being in your body, located in a place and time. Somehow relates to this beautiful work by David Crawford, another Pixelache04 participant. Photographic studies of people on public transport, poetic, dreamy, very much in the moment.

http://www.stopmotionstudies.net

All the things I was missing about Sydney now seem to be much more a part of my life in Melbourne. It's very confusing. Especially with so much travel and movement, the desire to be still and settled is somewhat incongruent with the current life plan and momentum. I guess there will be plenty of time to stay in one place when I'm old..... Or maybe not even then. This week I'm dreaming of bridges in Sweden - the Hoga Kusten Bron (High Coast Bridge) in the Kramfors district, and Spain - the Sancho El Mayor Bridge, near Tuleda in Navarra over the Rio Ebro.
Time to go and interview an anonymous rock climber about the Indooroopilly Bridge (aka Walter Taylor Bridge) in Brisbane. I had a great time at the Macintyre bridge in Geelong, accosted people walking across and did vox pops about their experience of the bridge, and a more extensive interview with Peter Alsop, the President of the Geelong Historical Society.

Monday, February 23, 2004

9:37 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Off to Geelong this morning. Recording a bridge there that carries shit. Really, it was built for sewerage but is also a pedestrian bridge. Nice. Talking to Professor Alsop, the head of the Geelong Historical Society and whatever passersby I can get my mikes on.
An activity filled weekend, with the full Catholic Catastrophe wedding at St Patrick's Cathedral, taking the eucharist and everything. (I was brought up by an atheist socialist parent, so keep my mouth shut on these occasions - peace be with you... and with you is about all I've managed to catch up on). The reception was a hoot, danced with Lisa's father - he's an excellent dancer, and also with the bride's sexy french brother Humbert, who made me spin and spin and spin. Literally.
On Sunday I braved the art films of Matthew Barney and his Cremaster cycle - excruciating. I could tell they were laden with meaning and symbolism, but had NO IDEA what any of it meant or was supposed to symbolise. Which to me is an indication that the artist has really failed to get their point across, but maybe I'm lacking in some deeper level of understanding.
Philippa's birthday drinks last night, at Kent st, and there's a story there, but I have to go now!

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

3:24 PM
Posted by jodi rose

All quiet for the last few nights. The community elders got together and convinced the kids to lay low for a while - although the protest march is planned for the day of TJ's funeral, from the block up to the police station.

On a lighter note, went to see Staceyann Chin last night - she was amazing. Totally inspiring performer - from the Nuyorican poetry slam days, black lesbian poet with incredible charisma and plenty to say. Like how being a lesbian is illegal in her homeland of Jamaica, all very lush and fun if you're white and wealthy, but not such an eternal holiday/honeymoon for the locals. Support act Doria Roberts was also great, singer/songwriter, with a gorgeous voice and very sassy attitude. As she pointed out, it's important to support your independent artists in these times when invisibility threatens to engulf us all.

Working my way through the back catalogue of abc radio programs - the listening room, radio eye - for inspiration on my project. Lots and lots of work to do - organisational, conceptual, technical, philosophical.

Monday, February 16, 2004

11:49 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Riots in Redfern.
Local news, for anyone not in Australia. Last night, sitting on the balcony with Lisa and Lou, we heard the strange alarm and smelt smoke as redfern railway station was set alight. The girls walked the two blocks down to eveleigh st early this morning, no-one could sleep with the chopper searchlights circling overhead for hours. And it was one of those hot nights, temperature didn't fall below 25 degrees. Someone filmed a man being arrested who had literally just come out of his house to see what was going on - he was koori - surprise, surprise, and an indigenous woman who told the cops she needed to go down the block to the jilawa (toilet), they arrested her too. So much for 'gang leaders' being 'put away.' Yes, I usually avoid commenting on politics or news; but this is happening in my backyard.

It's tragic and shocking that Thomas Hickey died the night before, and with at least five witnesses who say they saw the police chasing him down a lane-way, one has to wonder how much force it would take for a person to come off their bicycle and be impaled on a fence at least 6 feet above the ground - it's not the kind of injury you get just falling off your bike. And it's also pretty hard to fall UP and onto your back, usually you fall down and forward. Australia is such a deeply racist country, it's extremely sad that such avoidable deaths are still commonplace amongst the Aboriginal community. And the riots could well be averted if the police came out with some kind of expression of sympathy and regret, instead of just denying any involvement. Regardless of the person's background and wether any warrant is out for their arrest, it's a matter of basic human rights to not be subjected to intimidation and harrassment. TJ had been arrested about 8 months ago, when 5 police crash-tackled him to the ground - a friend who filmed the arrest later had her tape confiscated by the police as 'evidence'. I think it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

Last week one of the art students at Eora killed himself - well it may have been 3 weeks ago, but the funeral was last tuesday. And now this. Word on the street is that bigger, more organised action is planned for tonight. Another lock-down of the area, more kids getting in trouble, the cycle continues. There are some newspaper reports here:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/15/1076779843405.html

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/16/1076779871165.html

Friday, February 13, 2004

3:44 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Finally managed to sleep last night - it's been so sultry here with about 80% humidity most days and nights. Feeling like a puffy white steamed bun, or someone who stayed too long in a Finnish Sauna. Finland on the mind, still doing my best to get over to Pixelache. I've made an art installation around my desk at the ABC, with bridges everywhere. Catching up on some listening, with all the great shows archived here - I may never leave! Except to play on bridges now and then.
Jon Rose (the Bowing Fences guy) is just down the hall, interesting people everywhere.
Managed to catch one night of 'what is music' festival, two performers from canada Martin Tetrault and Dianne leGross (?) were the highlight, she had a wonderful machine that played like a theremin, although I asked afterwards: Is your machine part theremin? and she said no, it's infra-red not wavebased, but similar concept. Very theatrical to watch, and Martin did some interesting work playing turntables with all kinds of bits and pieces. Nothing else really blew my mind though. Actually, I lie, Robin Fox from Melbourne had a lovely piece with some kind of algorithm driven video/sound set-up, where a green light bounced and fractured around the screen depending on the sound. It was mesmerising, although I'm not doing justice in the description. Did lots of thinking through how I could make this performance in Helsinki work, and what not to do.
Kind of strange to find myself travelling along that path of experimental sound performance, as it's something I resisted for a long time. See where it leads I guess.

Seamus, one of the Berlin underground sound people I met last year is doing a radio program there 11pm - 1am Sunday night (Berlin time). He's playing some bridge tracks, Gail Priest is also going to be on. If you're online and have headphones on monday 9am - 11am (Sydney time), tune in to
NOTMusik on www.reboot.fm

Last thing, a big shout out to Rick Hobbs over in Seattle (I think) who is working on the update for Tacoma Narrows Bridge website. aka galloping gertie, the bridge that collapsed in high wind in the 1930's. The new website is launched next week, including a mention of this project and link to the site. Love your work! url to come.

Monday, February 09, 2004

12:56 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Saw the Nam June Paik retrospective at AGNSW over the weekend, loved the video documentation, especially the TV Bra. Interesting seeing a pioneer of electronic media art who has done things like wearable technology years before anyone else. Inspiring hearing Charlotte Moorman talk about how Paik didn't want her to play traditional music, or even notes, it was abstract aiming to change and effect the video image with each sound. That kind of thing happening in the 70's is part of the cultural context that makes it possible for me to imagine playing bridges as musical instruments, and creating a symphony on a global scale. And Duchamp, of course, anything can be art it's all about context and naming.
I'm worrying about this project, that I won't make it anything like the way I imagine, it will be banal and disappointing.
I worry that I expect too much from life, from people, and love, and myself. I want this work to be imaginative, poetic, sensual, vivid, beautiful, lucid, thought-provoking, moving. Starting to have ideas about how to construct the voice reading text for the spoken parts of the piece I'm doing at ABC, it's time to experiment and see what works. I was never very good at that - like to have a very clear idea of how something will end up and then work towards it. Process, process, process.

Another self-promotion advertisement: the SAMPLES of the BRIDGE SOUNDS are available on this website - they have moved to the DOCUMENTATION page. Click on LISTEN you will need flash player.

Also had an email this morning from Alessandro Ludovico at neural.it saying that Singing Bridges is on their front page - it's down near the end! (Yes I have listed this before but hey, it bears repeating! and the translation from Italian is cute) Check out the site, a great collection of experiments and projects in media, sound and music. "Hacktivism, E-Music, New Media Art."

Today you're on the home/cover:

11.12.03 Singing bridges, swinging steel.
The daily 'soundscape' can hardly do without the architectural structures and the vibrations of the matter, which can produce revealing tones and sounds. Singing bridges is the project of Jodi Rose, who concentrated her research on the awesome steel bridges which populate this world and extracted very fascinating musical compositions from them by amplifying their oscillations. This chorus of steel cables played by the wind and recorded with contact microphones hints at a global network between the separated landmasses they connect and a continuous communication akin to telecommunication lines. After listening to the streamed pieces, imagining a concert of bridges all over the world, as the author tries to do, fills the listener with a sensation of imperceptible vibration which, even if it's perfectly plausible, undermines the impression of stability these big structures usually give and gives them voice and sound in their natural, and sometimes imperceptible, swinging.

http://www.neural.it
check it daily.

http://www.neural.it/english
english news, essays and link.

Friday, February 06, 2004

2:51 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Yes the muggy weather is beginning to pall on me already.
Note to self: don't go to art openings at artspace. The international rent-art-crowd were there, painfully hip young things, with bladerunner blonde hair, serious retro suits, pointy green shoes and everything in between. Drinks at W bar afterwards and then Narai Dreams at the Narai Thai - a fabulous restaurant on Victoria St that hasn't changed the prices or menu since I was last there in about 1996. They serve whisky sour, pink lady and gin fizz amongst other cocktails for $5.50 - best prices in sydney where you pay from $12-16 depending on location, proximity to water and mood lighting. Note to self: stop going out to cocktail bars. what is it with this town - in melbourne there are all kinds of bars, that you can loung in, see rock'n'roll, perform medical experiments, something for all tastes. Here, it's just cocktails, spawning regardless of cultural or social geography. Strange.

Decided it's futile to compare melbourne and sydney and I should stop. Also not much use comparing the sydney I grew up in to the one I find myself in now. It's like some beautiful youngish thing with a raffish, dishevelled charm who has lost their innocence and found a self-conscious awareness of their own beauty, becoming hard and brittle with constant face-lifts and botox - all bright, shiny and expressionless luxury apartments, the retty harbour - but if you pull back the skin behind the ears, or leave the eastern suburbs, you can see the scars. layer upon layer of poverty, social injustice and blatant disregard for the welfare of those who don't have ooooodles of cash and power. A case in point being the sacking of South Sydney and City of Sydney Councils to create a 'supercouncil' - so much for no forced mergers. No doubt this new entity will be allowing free reign to developers over all that run-down, inner city property - who cares about community when there's so much money to be made from all that prime real estate?
Enough social commentary, here's some shameless self-promotion:

The Artist in Residence thing which I'm now doing is no longer 'The Listening Room' Residency (no comment on that, but it's an interesting and volatile time to be here) it's now called:

ABC Radio National Radiophonic Residency
Feb - July 2004

Decided that Finland is not a ruinous fancy, it is in fact absolutely essential and I will be there. To make bridges sing at:

pikseliÄHKY 2004
festival of DIY electronic art
1-4 April 2004, Helsinki
http://www.pixelache.ac

Thursday, February 05, 2004

3:30 PM
Posted by jodi rose

My first day at ABC. Slightly disoriented but no doubt I will find my way around these corridors eventually. Saw the lovely Heather-Grace in the canteen when I went down to have coffee and intro briefing with Robyn. I love how people just pop up in your life - that's Sydney for you, 28 years of networking and playing has to leave its mark.
The cycle to work from redfern was quite enjoyable, managed to avoid most of the main roads and hills, found parking in the car park amongst many other bikes. Have started on the project management for my australian bridge extravaganza, finally made contact with the right person at vicroads about getting access to Westgate bridge, now I'm just waiting for them to email the forms. Don't want any hazardous activity on those cables.
Settling in to my new room - it's very fabulous being in the den out the back, I've sourced that kitsch wallpaper with pictures of forest and sunsets, and am planning a redecorating working bee soon. You have been warned.
The girls are having a BBQ on sunday, I've been out for a drink at zanzibar on king st the first night - strawberry caprioska, my new favourite, vodka, crushed strawberries and heaps of lime, yum - and some dodgy hawaiian themed bar in bondi last night full of english backpackers, who can probably spend an entire year here without meeting a real live aussie. We had gone out in search of a bath from the half-dozen being thrown in a skip yesterday, but they had all disappeared. If anyone knows of a spare bath going to a good home, let me know.
Tonight am braving the art scene, a show at new contemporary gallery in the QVB with Zhao Bandi - a chinese conceptual artist who photographs himself and his panda all over beijing, then an imperial slacks group show at artspace. All in the name of research - it's fun having the energy and wanting to get out there in the world again. I'm loving the steamy heat, even when it gets rainy it's still all humid and tropical. The novelty will probably wear off soon.
Learnt something today from JOhn, that the halves of mangoes are called 'mango cheeks'. neither Sheree nor I believed him, then I did a google and there are hundreds of recipes for mango cheeks - grilled with brown sugar looked good!
Ahh the joy of being in a workplace with other people around. It was a lonely old year in that sculptors gallery.

Grilled Mango Cheeks
Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 12 minutes

4 medium mangoes (1.7kg)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum

Peel mangoes; cut two "cheeks" from each mango by slicing lengthways on either side of seed.

Preheat oven to moderately hot.


Place mango cheeks, flat-side down, in grill pan; cook until mango is beginning to brown.

Transfer mango to baking dish; sprinkle sugar and rum over mango.

Bake mango, uncovered, in moderately hot oven 8 minutes.

Top mango with passionfruit pulp and serve with cream or ice-cream if desired.

SERVES 4

TIP: This recipe uses only the mango cheeks; use any remaining mango flesh in a salsa or salad.