TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

  

VIEWING 10 MOST RECENT POSTS

Sunday, September 7, 2008

4:50 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Life in slow motion today.
The boat is tilting a little less, now eve and vince discovered a flood in the water tanks, excess pumped out and so far we're hoping for it to be a burst pipe and not a hole in the hull. Came back from a brief wander round Linz, to find the cosy family dealing with potential disaster - I love this tiny floating world so much, it's getting harder to deal with 'real life' out there, am being treated so well and have this great artist cocoon to inhabit. Checked out a few films in the animation festival - great spanish one with two bad granddaddies having a wheelchair race, almost to the death - randomly saw one of my favourite performances so far; the perfect human outside lentos, a tall lanky redhead in white scifi suit, dancing strangely while surrounded by old radios; dropped by the brucknerhaus where everyone lingering at the festival has the same glazed look in their eyes. Saw an excerpt of fabulous stop-motion animation, madame tutli putli, winner of the golden nica for film, gorgeous journey on a train to warsaw, chess game going on in the luggage rack above her, great atmosphere and characters, and the most beautiful eyes, real human instead of glass.

My very very favourite thing so far was the performance in the slovene night at lentos kunstmuseum, which I only found out later was by miha ciglar and his collaborating partner; with a fishbowl of soapy water, metal cable in his mout, creating a lovely glitchy and bleepy electronic music, with the most intriguing part being the body chemistry between the performers.; will have to upload video, it's a little hard to describe. Gorgeous, poetic, romantic, human... I love having the slovene crew to hang out with, they're totally divine. Have plans to join the slovene space program, which is apparently run by artists; according to another miha who is working with dragan on anti-gravity theatre and other cosmonaut projects. Of course the french are totally fabulous too, doing their usual mix of work and play with dedicated intensity, there is something admirable about being able to dive into life so hard and deep. I aspire to that level of immersion. Now it's all I can do to keep up with making the bridge recordings, being in the endless socialising and only just finding the energy for art administration. Letting quite a few things slide.... sorry anyone who's been inconvenienced by my sudden drop in signal. Had a cute conversation with Dragan, theatre director for the antigravity show - must find out the name - he said something about the bridge sounds and signals; and as I'm working with Aljosa (who collects all kinds of signal territories as his speciality), I got to say, "he's the signal, I'm the noise". which I was, another noisy bridge performance last night, on the boat, with fabulous luka and luka doing their magic; and signals from aljosa's collection along the danube; plus a special secret guest piece from fred, whose demented accordion composition worked beautifully along with the boat travelling into linz, which I recorded in the last ten minutes of our trip.

so, life isn't making any more sense; if anything it has become even more totally incoherent, the situation may be critical; then again it could be the light at the end of the tunnel making all those crazy patterns. We can only keep going and find out later where it was all leading. Am totally aware of just how lucky I am, to have this interlude from the world, moving in another element, at a different pace; everything changes. Even had my own personal particle accelerator at the beginning, left me stripped raw and transparent, after the fusion took place, it's a gift to have that kind of intensity, whatever form it takes or doesn't. I think that I'm becoming more the person I dreamed of being, although leaving fragments of myself everywhere along the way.

As Einstein said; I'd rather be an optimist and happy, than a pessimist and right. Or in the words of jane wagner:

"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."

Monday, September 1, 2008

10:17 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Still in Vienna, meant to leave for linz early this morning but some problem with the oil for the boat meant we did circles on the danube for hours and ended up three bridges further along from where we started this morning. running on reserve battery power now; had a wander out to the millennium centre and taste of bright lights, sabrina was craving some less medieval life, but we may lose the antenna again any minute.
recorded another 3 bridges on sunday, with fabulous sound from eve and phil doing on-site percussion interventions; and unexpectedly beautiful piece from the jetski cables going round and round and round. chilled out at the vienna city beach bar afterwards, swimming and sand with a lounge groove dj, then one last bridge where joachim and gael spotted us from the water and picked us up for a ride in their motorboat to the next bridge along. lovely synchronicity.
zen time now, deep breath and back into the flow of river life.
more from linz when we arrive, hopefully on wednesday.

Friday, August 29, 2008

3:17 PM
Posted by jodi rose

BRIDGE RADIO WIEN 107.9 FM
LIVE TODAY!!!

FRI 29 AUG / 6 - 8 PM

Schwedenbrucke, Donaukanal U1, U4, Ring 1, 2 Schweden Pl.

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO PLAY ON THE BRIDGE

Bring your instruments - electronic, acoustic, percussion, voice, strings, wind...

BYO Radio, recording device, headphones, microphone, laptop, FRIENDS

JOIN THE BRIDGE RADIO LIVE INTERVENTION

www.sound-delta.eu

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

8:34 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Arrived in Vienna on Monday, caught the next bus to Bratislava with minutes to spare,an hour later was meeting fellow radio artists in front of the hotel danube. took my things to the boat, docked in fabulous industrial port harbour; went back out to explore the city and have dinner; ended up in karaoke bar and left at 6am for trip back to Vienna by water, so didn,t make it to the eyelash bridge I was hoping to record;all day yesterday on the boat; very relaxing 12 hour journey back to Vienna; through a lock just as nightfell and moored in our present salubrious location between Marina Wien and the Danube Hilton: New arrivals include cosmin and spektr; both of whom I know from singapore, going up on deck to watch the sunset and check out the signal on the fancy receiver: life floats on in a very sublime way...

Sunday, August 24, 2008

2:02 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Last rainy sunday in Berlin... camped out in the internet cafe, making the most of my final hours online and tech-equipped. As you know, I'm about to become a post-media artist. Apologies for unanswered emails, in advance. Letting a few deadlines slide by too. You know, I just don't have the energy. Burned out from trying to arrange mega projects. I'm just going to float for a while. Assuming I manage to located the french radio boat crew tomorrow. The directions I have are: go to Bratislava, and call this french mobile phone number. I have absolute confidence that we will find each other, even with this vague arrangement. And hey, it's a chance to really live what I preach... this from a letter to a friend earlier in the week:

"Sometimes it's good to free yourself from trying to know anything, or make choices. Just give yourself to life and see where it takes you."

And where it takes you is a mystery, until you get there, at which point is simply becomes where you are. I like the return to Bratislava, there's a nice circularity to it, since the name of the barge is 'Ange Gabriel' and the first time I went there in 2002, I had to meet a Mr Gabriel for my very dodgy loft bed with leopard-print decor and mirrors. It was next to the american embassy, and he wouldn't let my Slovak friend come with me to the apt, due to some left-over paranoia... everything worked out fine then, and am sure it will now.

The beginning of a plan hatching for October, will see where it goes...

Bon voyage, may be able to update sporadically from the Danube, otherwise, see you in three weeks. xxx jodi

Saturday, August 23, 2008

2:01 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Final weekend, trying to wrap up all the loose ends in my life before leaving berlin again on monday. Oh ok, so that's not gonna happen. Doing my best to set things up and sort them out so that all will continue to run smoothly in my absence - yes, three weeks on the ange gabriel barge on the danube, no internet, not computer, actually sounds fun!

There's a radio studio on the boat, or so I hear, looking forward to some floating radiophonic art practice. I'm doing my best to find people to play on bridges with me, have talking with Konrad and Armin in Vienna, then meet fabulous friends Luka and Nova in Linz, who are there representing Slovenia, also Helen and Heiko will be their collecting their Golden Nica for Nuage Verte. Nice one!!

So, just as I start to feel at home in Berlin again, connect with my various friends and communities, got lost in the west and enjoyed the incredible marscapone gorgonzola and truffle pecorino cheese platter at a friend's local italian deli, after a few minutes bliss on a sewing machine patching my jeans, finally had a mildly trashy night out with Edi and her visiting NY artist friend, misbehaving on the street....

Realised that if I want to be a seriously collectable artist, I need to get a lot trashier, am way too responsible and together! Maybe we can find a balance somewhere. Still, this fragmented floating life is pretty damn good right now. Off to saturn to buy mini discs, then quiet evening, movie with Jas, and final fleamarket trip tomorrow.

Look out for bridges singing near you - have submitted works to this new online soundmuseum project, and next issue of vibro files.

Life is completely open for October/November, feel free to write in with a suggestion and we'll make a plan. Anything to help decide. Invitations that include food, accommodation and/or funding will be favorably received. All genuine replies considered.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

8:45 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Lost in Berlin after Hotel Chernobyl, gradually finding my way back.
Having a good week so far, great bargains at my favourite fleamarket on the weekend, boxhagener platz, home to all kinds of cool retro-electro junk. Picked up a great 8 band world radio, sony mike, and black wig... all kinds of possibilities. Making plans for the Danube bridge concerts, lining up my local artists in Vienna and Linz - just discovered the two Luka's will be there from Ljubljana, and happy to play if we can find the time! So love having people in my life who turn up again in random places...

Fantastic writer's group last night, had really useful and productive crit on my first draft of Singapore Punk story, which will eventually be a chapter in the memoir. Definitely finding the flow, and tone, good questions from people in the group, about what exactly I mean by punk, and from someone who doesn't know me - who are you and why should I care? Indeed, exactly. Thinking about how to write yourself as a character, and giving more information about context, although the kids liked the mix of detail on people, culture, politics...

Woke up this morning and wrote for 3 hours, now to do that every day. Then another 3 hours.... It feels like some kind of breakthrough, clarity of intention and focus much clearer than before. Need to wrangle a spare computer from someone to work on during the boat trip... anyone? An old laptop lying around... just need word processing and basic audio editing.... beep beep beep transmission over...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

3:54 PM
Posted by jodi rose

You are cordially invited to come to the FORGOTTEN BAR PROJECT gallery in Kreuzberg on this coming Wednesday.

The following works will be shown:

Jacob Kirkegaard: "HOTEL CHERNOBYL"
12 photos of 40 x 30 cm (2006)
'Hotel Chernobyl' offers a photographic view into the one and only hotel existing inside the Zone of Exclusion in Chernobyl, Ukraine.

Sarah & Jacob Kirkegaard: "CHERNOBYL ALL INCLUSIVE"

In October 2005, Sarah and Jacob Kirkegaard explored the touristic potential of the so-called Zone of Exclusion in Chernobyl, Ukraine. After more than 20 years of abandonment, the area has become Europe's greatest nature reserve. However, it still holds the uncanny charm of a nuclear no-man's land where everything but memory has long been eradicated.

"Chernobyl all inclusive" is a remix of footage recorded during this visit. It presents two parallel reports of the same journey: one in sound, the other in image, both taken from the same rough DV recordings. While the video stills and cross-fades focus on the claustrophobic interior of „Hotel Chernobyl" - an improvised housing container provided for the rare guests to the Zone - , the vivid sound narrative evokes a whole range of experiences and associations from the trip: from endless car drives and checkpoint dialogues to the rustling of trees overgrowing the deserted settlements.

We hope to see you there
Feel free to bring friends.

Details:
The exhibition will only be up on this evening
Wednesday the 13th of August between 18:00 - 22:00 uhr
Address: Schönleinstrasse 28, 10967 Berlin Kreuzberg


Jacob Kirkegaard - http://fonik.dk
Photo preview - http://fonik.dk/works/hotel.html

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

12:12 PM
Posted by jodi rose

Offerings to the Hungry Ghosts

"...sometimes it's hard to know if your soul is stuck in the place you
have left, or just stuck online somewhere when you don't have net
access. anyways you should let it catch up with you before you move on again. breakfast was a good start. maybe there are some special berlin places that don't have free wifi that you could nourish yourself with. it's possible that you are just exhausted and need a bloody good rest and i sounds like you are doing just that, when you are ready add more walks into the mix. walking fixes all kinds of problems."

"I know it's hard when people come and go. But if you feel Berlin is your home, you'll get by :) For me, I think when you're in Europe, you're close to me. I mean, mentally always but you know.

I'll make a little drumming for you tonight if you still feel lost soul!"

thank you for the wisdom and support - here's to a new day.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

11:52 AM
Posted by jodi rose

Tuned in to the european sound delta on radio wne for a preview of next month's esoteric radio trip along the danube... excellent aural stimulation this morning, starting with speedcore mix of 'it's a small world after all' going to DJ Cabine - Cabine Experimental, a little bit dance a little bit breakcore, and now floating ambience courtesy of Mick Harris & Martin Baytes. * now 'me and my rythmbox'... can't wait to join the boat.


EUROPEAN SOUND DELTA


RADIO WNE


Didn't make it out dancing on friday night, which turns out to be a good thing after all - had a message on myspace from one of the performers, saying 'hope you weren't there at wr, tooooooodrunk!' and another from a friend who was at the alternative 'quiet noise' concert, saying it was too early and not so interesting. So only really missed out on the west african music, that's berlin for you, at least 3 things a night that could be amazing, or maybe not so...

Great talk at writers group last night, about how explicit to get when writing sex, varying opinions. I'm all in favour of not changing names to protect the guilty, but then perhaps it would be better all round to preserve anonymity. Writing up stories and travel article, hopefully that will help move on and land here, mentally and emotionally.

Thinking about bridges for danube project, both miking up the real ones, and exploring virtual or metaphysical bridges, through stories, connections, conversation... all open to improvisation and whatever happens on the ground, in the air, underwater...