learning the ropes

I took a trip down memory lane for my Applications of Interactive Technology class. One of the two assignments is to ride the Manhattan M5 bus from it’s origin at La Guardia Place and Houston all the way to its final stop at the George Washington Bridge bus terminal (179th and Ft. Washington).

My original goal for the trip was to collect sound samples for use in my assignment. I wanted to make a sound collage of my journey to fulfill the requirements of the assignment, but I quickly discovered that the only sounds I could capture from inside the bus were the conversations of the passengers and the rumbling of the engine. If I’m going to make this happen, I will have to ride my bicycle along the route another day.

This is only the second time I’ve ridden a bus in Manhattan. My first ride was in a torrential downpour years ago when I was visiting colleges. Although I’ve cycled some of the route the M5 took, I haven’t had the opportunity until now to travel most of the length of the island above ground. Cycling in Manhattan doesn’t allow for leisurely observations or photography.

Summary:
This two minute video explores the interaction between light and space.

Idea:
A melancholy sleepless night is transformed by a thunderstorm.

Details:
- 1′ x 1′ x 1′ (appx) set made out of foamcore
- Sound design created from Creative Commons-licensed elements from FreeSound
- Piano music recorded in my home studio

Note:
This entry is a duplicate of the entry that I tried to post to the Spatial Design blog. Hopefully I will figure out a better way to do this instead of creating entries in both places. Suggestions?

Rode out to Roosevelt Island (history) with folks from class. The view from the tram was quite spectacular. We were in the middle of the air in a space defined by the walls and floor of the tram car — held in place by the cable above us.

I attracted the attention of the Grog Shop’s owner by stopping to shoot a photo.

I was more interested in documenting the duplicated shops signs and the glass-enclosed walkway rather than taking a picture of his shop. He sent someone out to ask me what I was doing. I fumbled a bit for words because he gave me the impression I was doing something wrong. When I explained that I was on Roosevelt Island as part of a class assignment, he asked if I could send him the photo. The Grog Shop doesn’t seem to have a website, though… so I guess he’ll have to wait until the next time I’m on the island — and remember to print the photo.

I found the island to be very angular: many of the buildings had strong prependicular lines jutting out of their facades. It seemed very ordered, controlled, and planned — a stark contrast to Manhattan’s jumble of towers. In some ways it made me forget about the presence of Manhattan. The tall apartment towers on the west side of Main street effectively block off any view or sound of Manhattan.

We spent some time at the northern tip of the island watching passing tug boats. I wondered who Vicki Holland was, but couldn’t find out much about her.

One of the things that intrigued me in our first class with Jean-Marc was his sense of the history of places. I would have to admit that I rarely have had an interest about this — until now. From the small bit I’ve read about the island it has changed drastically over the past forty years from “Welfare Island” into a self-governed (?), intentional community (again? — perhaps this is not the correct term).

I’m in a world of stone — meticulously processed stone. Stone that is drilled and cracked and chipped and polished. Before this trip to the Noguchi museum (and our first class on light I had very little appreciation for the variety of values that texture can produce. The same material, seemingly on the same plane in space can exhibit difference in value just by subtley texturing it.

This is a peaceful space — but an overwhelming one. I have come in contact with the work of one man’s lifetime. There is so much to take in, to try to understand, to appreciate.

The pieces I enjoyed the most were:

I found the texture of one of the pieces really fascinating:

As I learned in class today, the stone is generally drilled in the quarry, but Noguchi used this technique in “miniature” to work details into his work. Note the areas that were left rough and those that were polished

I spent a bunch of my summer building this bookshelf.

Ikea sells them, but I guess I was looking for a character-building project. Perhaps the “patience” that came from constructing router jigs, the “peace” that comes from embracing imperfection, and the “wisdom” of knowing the correct tool to use for a job will show up at a later date. I must have started this project back in May or June…

The most difficult part of the project was cutting the box joints on the shelf support. There were thirty-two of them.