Ensemblage
Silent Negotiations (I Said _____ I Meant _____) at MAAF 2010
Saturday night screening at Nothin’ Less
You have to have a little humor to appreciate this. My first (and probably, hopefully, the last) work to be screened in the lady’s room.
Opening night, I went to check on my video but the door (to the restroom) was locked. Then a woman came out a few minutes later smiling and said, “Thank you for the message.” Your welcome.
Today: I don’t want to think
My ID says: I want to sleep, I want a manicure, I want my clothes to pick out itself, I want a massage, I want a meal sitting at a table, I want to talk about something other than slots or paint or eye level or compression rates, or better yet not talk at all, I want a workout that requires punching & kicking, I want to laugh really hard (and not out of hysterics), I want extended bear hugs, I want to buy a pair of really expensive shoes, I want pleasure.
Revising spelling/grammatical errors thanks to a human spell checker & burning DVD’s all day. It’s all coming together slowly.
…I think I will eat carbs today.
I burned through half the stack of bad versions before finding the right compression rate for my Quicktimes movies.
Hero of the day is J9!
The magic numbers: 23 brightness; 76 contrast
Today: burn dvd’s, revise artist statement, order vinyl letters for title.
ABSOLUTELY NO FREAKOUTS….ok I did, just a little bit, but gotta move on.
Mini trap door. Loves it. Thanks dad.
test, tweak, test, tweak, test, tweak….
Testing video alignment, re-editing, testing again, back to editing….
On a side note, I always welcome constructive criticism:
“Susan, I was thinking your piece is maybe mean looking. I think you should add some music. It’ll make it nice.”
“……..Um, thanks dad, but the piece is about silence.”
Actually, major props to superdad. He’s amazingly handy in all the ways that I am not so he made all the tech issues I was anticipating close to non-existent. I rarely ask anyone for help. Not because I don’t need it, or even my pride, but I don’t like inconveniencing others. I guess that’s why I appreciate generosity and reliability so much. Anyway, at least I have some new music to push through all this video editing…a little variety for my ears to break up the monotony for my eyes.
I’ve been having random dreams this week. I need a fix for heavy sighs & jaded eyes. And just when I need it most I receive the perfect nudge–
3 more days after 3 years– that’s a reality check & it’s definitely push time.
Today:
wire up all the equipment & test dvds in slots–today’s superhero is Matt H.
adjust inner lighting–sharp eye as usual DJG (and yes to visual drama)
video
video
video
video
video (major f! formatting issues)
I get to go home tonight–I hope that includes some good sleep. Nevermind.
Oh, and I actually ate a meal that required utensils and now I’m sleepy as heck. Almost, almost, almost there.
Installing equipment today. wow. What am I about to get myself into?
If I have a breakdown between now and opening, it’s going to be over this.
I need to recruit tech support.
Chip & my dad were superheros today–hustle, hustle.
Tomorrow–dvds & cables
Mixing up the perfect gray for the inner slots.
I have the best peeps lending eyes & hands.
There’s some magic in a can happening today.
Dior Gray turns out to be eye-pleasingly perfect.
Ah, happiness. Monochrome is hot.
Thank goodness I had an extra day for f-ups. problem fixed.
sanding & priming complete
Tomorrow: painting
Home Depot forgot to tint my primer. arg.
Finally settled on Dior Gray from Benjamin Moore.
Kicking off today with music, push-ups & sunshine–I’m gonna make it zen.
mudding is underway
inner wall sneak peak–I’m going to have to figure out the lighting situation
8am: tools set-up & ready to go–waited 3 hours this morning for Home Depot to deliver the goods….
12pm: 1 box of coffee, 6 guys, 4 rides on the freight elevator–load in: check!
By 3pm: Framing– Chip & his guys were super fast & efficient!
Intermission: a sip of participatory art
10pm: drywall & slots in place
tomorrow: mudding
And who says artist’s can’t do math?
Alright, I was a really poor math student in high school and this took forever to figure out the exact measurements and layout…and I still tweak it everyday. But now I think I have everything in its place, taking into account different eye-levels, but really, the size of the slits and heights are based on the content of the video–how near or far you have to stand, and even dipping down or getting on your tippy-toes. Three weeks to see the actual thing–be ready to get squinty-eyed!
