TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

  

VIEWING ALL POSTS FOR: SEPTEMBER 2004

Sunday, September 26, 2004

8:36 PM
Posted by jodi rose

"At night I listen, tending the dark, keeping stars.
Alert to the presence of the invisible, which never comes to light.
I travelled all the way to Chile to find you, to an isolated mountain top where the stars open like flowers. Constellating dreams... here it rains stars."

From Virginia Madsen program on Sunday Night Radio National 20:00
Dark Rooms, a speculation on the dark space of listening and night - is there any room any more for the dark?" Gorgeous.

Breaking the cycle of 'there's so much to do, where do I start' and feeling continually and completely overwhelmed... spent the day at Little Bay, swimming and hanging out with Julaine and Nira (her dog), joined by Garry, Helen, Oskar and Harvey (their dog) and another puppy with enormous paws, white socks and much joyous jumping around.

Listening to the program on night, stars, dark, astronomy was such a beautiful, reflective space, took me out into a galaxy of poetic reverie. That's a rare and transcendent place. Feeling harsh and brittle, too much concrete and sunshine in my life right now - needing the quiet calm of dark places, a ride over the mountain in the back of a pick-up under the most intense jewelled velvet sky, many hours gazing at dramatic ocean storms from a cosy room with huge windows and an open fire.

But real life keeps turning, ear to the grindstone..... back on the treadmill of production. I need more space for poetry in my life. Where did it all evaporate to after the last infusion? Trying to create art feels hollow, the meaning has all drained out. It's endless editing and admin and talking about nothing.

Although on saturday morning I stumbled upon the Newtown Laughing Club, as I walked around St Stephens Cemetery, and joined in with 15 people throwing their arms in the air laughing, for 20 minutes of laughter. Very refreshing, and invigorating.

Enough of this rambling slightly whiny rant, time to get constructive. Log onto ichat so I can work with sophea in helsinki, write up some ideas in a structured form, and get some sleep. Good night, dream of wandering stars.

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

10:33 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Struggling today.
Need to clone myself.
Sydney is shiny and sunny as always.
The TO DO list just keeps getting longer.
Melancholy with sense of dislocation and being on the 'wrong' side of the world right now.
Oh well, back to work.

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

6:52 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Here is an excerpt from an article about RAM6 written by Tautvydas, who was one of the people on the mission to find the healing spring in the forest, and worked tirelessly to make sure everything ran smoothly during the workshops.

Jodi Rose naudoja įrašų technologiją inventorizuodama lietuviško miško garsinius landšaftus ir kartu su VILMA grupe dokumentuoja jo simbolinius pirmavaizdius. Įrašo ir dokumentacijos teritorija. Tuo tarpu ekspedicija į mišką, įkurdinant ten mobilią technologinę stotį ir transliuojant daugiakryptį pranešimą, veikia kaip sudėtinga navigacijos sistema.

I have no idea what it says, (well, actually I can guess, something about mapping the forest with sound maybe?) and sadly this imperialist english computer isn't coping with the idiosyncracies of the Lithuanian language at all well, but you can read the full article here:

http://www.culture.lt/lmenas/?leid_id=3014&kas=straipsnis&st_id=5292

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

6:11 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Just posted my submission for transmediale next year, with 10 minutes to spare before the deadline. Phase 3 of operation global bridge symphony is now underway..... next year is mapping out quite well.

Ok, I'm having flashbacks to Monday night film 'flight to mars' screened in 16mm - it was meant to be at the Annandale Hotel, but as the sydney swans (a football team for anyone reading this outside oz) had lost their match and were having 'mad monday' ie: drinking since 10am and all running around half-naked with buckets strategically placed in all the corners, we had to relocate up the road. To a fantastic warehouse, stacked with old reels of film - the mu-meson archives, which had just collected 6 rows of floor-to-ceiling films cans found in a garage in lane cove - originally from the kenyan film service, which screened Hollywood's latest across Africa between the 1930's to 1959. Fascinating to imagine what people in Kenya would have made of the fabulously camp 'flight to mars' - first colour sci-fi film apparently, made 1951 - with the crew all having tea out of china cups during their space flight, and some priceless dialogue: eminent scientist "the world is entitled to my opinion"; woman scientist on arriving on mars "where's the kitchen"? Oh lordy, luckily there wasn't one, all the food is delivered on a clunky roller-table through a hole in the wall, and the dishes washed electrically by a machine. Imagine!

So, that was a good counterpoint to my intensive immersion in electronic and media art - still craving some disco though, but the Rapid Deployment D.I.S.C.O. Unit is in development.

Took the weekend off (which was a mistake, I'm paying for it now with extra overtime. Never worked this hard for anyone else :) and went to the movies. Somersault, a new Australian film which was almost painful to watch at times, the lead character was so vulnerable and messed up, and Jindabyne has never looked so desolate - really interesting sound track - excellent work Jasmine! - well worth seeing.
The next day, went to Before Sunset - follow up to Before Sunrise 9 years ago, with ethan hawke and julie delpy wandering around talking and falling in love again. He really irritated me at first, but then, ahh the bittersweet romance of life took over. Kind of melancholy after that double, it was like being fast-forwarded through times in my life from 16 to 22 to 32, wondering where did all that potential go?
That's right, it's all here, being chanelled into crazy art schemes.
Go visit my wonderful friend Mari, she makes really cool stuff.

http://www.artsufartsu.net

Friday, September 10, 2004

5:35 PM
Posted by jodi rose

walked along the cliffs at coogee this morning - reminded me of why it can be so fabulous to be in sydney. dramatic sweeping sandstone and sparkling blue-green ocean, old men fishing, sun shining, life is good.
slept well for the first time since getting back, which also helps. now playing with pics - only took the 800 while I was away... the wonders of digital technology. the camera has more than paid for itself in developing costs already.
had a lovely email from Pelle, my favourite bridge cable engineer, who says they will be tuning the Bangkok bridge in August next year, which works out perfectly. can't wait to hear it.
remix-variations-deviations are flowing in from around the country, saving them up to listen until I have a few more. really must try and do something other than keep on top of my emails - but it's so much fun! all these cool people keep writing to me :)

Wednesday, September 8, 2004

7:21 PM
Posted by jodi rose

well, back on solid ground again. the first thing I noticed about being in australia is the sense of space - huge swathes of open sky, mesmerising clear blue with puffs of cloud, wide streets almost empty of people, the hills hoist (with discoball) in our backyard....
finished reading alain de botton 'the art of travel' on the plane (!?!) and committed to looking at my home environment with new wonder and curiousity. It worked for the first day - arrived back at 5am, wend out on a long walk at 7, met julaine for coffee, king st revealed all kinds of wonders never seen before, flowers painted on the traffic island, an old 'greens coupons' logo on a terrace wall, the mix of architectural features from 18thC elegance to the still-dilapidated 'HUB' cinema; but they have all faded back into the everyday now.
3 weeks intense art activity + jetlag = very strange sleeping patterns, 5am - 1pm the last few days, but it's complete luxury to be home in my own bed, collapsed into a heap for 48 hours - back at work now!

Sunday, September 5, 2004

6:34 PM
Posted by jodi rose

just arrived on my flight from hel to sin. it's 6pm at changi airport, singapore - one of my favourites in the world. endless entertainment options, a pool with bar upstairs, legend of the goddess performance daily next to east and west music bar at 7pm and 9pm, free internet, prayer room and shops shops shops.
met a lovely aussie sheila called pippa at kiasma on friday, she rocked up and said Hi, so invited her to sauna with us. turns out she's doing research on international airport furniture design - and I thought I had a cool gig!!
nothing much to report, easy flight, dreadful food, a little dazed but not too confused, bright purple orchids all round me very cheerful, looking forward to jumping in the ocean when I get back to oz.
off to find the poolside bar now for a quick lounge before the next flight to sydney.

Sunday, September 5, 2004

6:31 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Free state in Vilnius

Saturday, September 4, 2004

8:54 PM
Posted by jodi rose

leaving helsinki in about 2 hours. the sky is a fading pink melancholy and I feel like I'm leaving something essential behind. it will be here for me still when I get back, I'm sure.
Had a lovely day visiting porvoo with essie, mari and cristina, the first time I have got out of the city. you're in the country within about 5 minutes driving, unlike leaving sydney which sprawls for hours. the trees were very restful to watch, as trees are, and the town is excessively cute old wooden houses along the river. I made a recording of the bridge, which cristina said: I could dance to this!
rapid deployment d.i.s.c.o. on the bridge, yay!
coming home with a suitcase full of new sounds, connections and memories that are pointing me towards a new future. listening to some of the material from vilnius and the bus trip to the forest was so great, all this energy and so many interesting conversations and things happening. just need to track down copies of the streaming sound, as I was otherwise occupied holding the clipboard, drinking beer and telling people where to set up!
but we made it. I love my life here. I love that it involves doing crazy media art performances that are streamed from sacred oak groves, talking with people who record the sound of ice and rocks in iceland, having production meetings in the nude swimming hall for hybrid collaborative radio practices and rddiu, going to the original wood sauna in kallio having birch leaves and honey invigorate my skin, and dancing until dawn 3 times in a month.
a few missions on my return to oz - make radio programs and CD's, write three chapters of thesis/book, follow up all ad hoc network connections, learn to tango, and get self back over here....
now it must be time to go and wave my passport at customs, then prepare for the next fab 22 hours on a plane. joy.
love you all
xxxxxxx j

Thursday, September 2, 2004

4:34 PM
Posted by jodi rose

tuesday afternoon, siba (sibelius academy)
helsinki
the last few days are a blur. no, make that the last few weeks!
today is the first time I am sitting in a room for a few hours, not really having to do anything or go anywhere. it is very restful. finally updated my cv from the last 6 months, and did something else which i now can't for the life of me remember what it was. strange. things falling out of my head.
this morning I tracked down some original recordings of Finnish tango - fascinating, it became the blues of finland in the 40's, found some by Olavi virta, Eino Grön, Reijo Taipale and markus Allan - who is featured in arki kaurasmaki films (spelling not so great!)
last night went swimming at yrjonkätu swimhalle with sophea and brainstormed for particle wave and rddiu.
tonight is dinner at the seahorse, my favourite!