Reading Response #3

I decided to respond to Kenny Cuper’s article, “Walking As Do-It Yourself Urbanism,” because I was fascinated by the project that was discussed by Cuper in this article. Cuper’s project consisted of three parts; a photographic essay, an urban intervention and a website to illustrate the “breathing spaces” of London, England. The photographic essay constituted an investigation through walking, much like the practices of Film 116 and our drifts, to find unique places of London Cuper refers to as “breathing spaces,” that could potentially provide an urban walker a place for him or her to chill-out.

The project functioned as such: Cuper would trek all throughout London to find these unique places, or “breathing spaces,” not often seen by the public and photograph them. Cuper then would turn these photographs into post cards and would distribute them on buses, subways, sidewalks, and coffee shops. This is where the “urban intervention” came in. On the back of these postcards were directions to help the individual find the exotic location of the photograph on the front. Also written on the back of these cards was a website, wheredoyoubreath.net, which was part of goal three of this project. The website contained an interactive map located a series of urban spaces accompanied with an image and a short description of the area. The website also encouraged visitors to include their own favorite locations of the city within the map and share an image and description of their own. This website allowed visitors to see each others own walking experiences.

Cuper did this to answer questions such as “in what ways are people stimulated to see urban space in alternative ways?” and “Can a city be transformed by imagination by looking at it or by walking it?”

This project is extremely relevant towards the projects conducted in this class because it encourages people to look at an urban environment differently, and to find nooks and crannies that often go overlooked within a crowded and clustered urban environment.

Video Hardware/Software Response

1. How was your experience with the Olympus digital camera?
My experience with the camera went very smoothly. I never had any difficulties operating the camera and it did not prevent me from completing this project in any way.

How did it compare with other still or video cameras you have previously used?
In terms of capturing still imagery it was no different than past cameras I have used. As a video camera it was much smaller than the ones I have used in the past and seemed to have all the capabilities of other digital video cameras I have used before.

Were you able to successfully implement your Image Capturing Strategies using the features of this camera?
Yes, the camera did not prevent me from achieving my image capturing strategy in anyway.

In an ideal world, how would your still/video camera of choice function?
For this type of project, I would say that the still/video camera we were provided with was the ideal type. It was small, portable, and very easy to work with.

2. Discuss your choice of video-editing software and describe your history with this software. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental).
For this project I chose to use the old iMovie application to edit my imagery. I did not use the new, updated version because it is absent of special effects and transition elements. I chose the old iMovie over other applications because I was extremely familiar with it. I have used the application in nearly all of my other video projects from the past and was well aware of its capabilities and functions. My familiarity with the application allowed me to freely accomplish my creative goals as there were no problems that created frustration.

Will you use this software again for future projects?
Yes, I will most definitely use this software again. Until I have an opportunity to try out an application such as Quicktime Pro for free, I will continue to use the old iMovie, as it is reliable, free, and friendly to me, before I make an investment with software such as Quicktime Pro.

Reading Response #2

I chose to read “On the Aesthetics of Urban Walking and Writing” by Phillip Lopate because I remembered this article the best from when I first read it compared to the other articles. Also, I love writing, and enjoyed the comparisons between walking and writing. Throughout the article Lopate compares the two acts, writing and walking. He sees that one can easily become distracted during the process. Should someone concentrate on the pedestrians, the architecture, or nature? One could get carried away with lists. Lopate begins by explaining how he grew into having a thirst for walking the streets of Manhattan and pedestrianism, how a city like New York can absorb so many different people and how before his thirst, he would walk the streets annoyed and be too in-drawn to appreciate detail n brickwork. He also expresses how marriage has contained his ventures of walking the streets, as he is now always expected at home and calls Manhattan a “Mecca for singles.” He says that now he feels pressured to look for detail when walking streets and will often times attempt to read a book instead and comes to the conclusion that if New York City is going to astonish him, “it better do it without me lifting a finger.”

These ideas are relevant towards my media practices because at first, the idea of walking down the streets of the town you live in may not seem interesting, but if you give it a chance, you can learn to appreciate detail and architecture and the natural beauty of your surroundings that you took for granted. One must learn to look at things another way in order to appreciate it but not look too hard of course. You should have to put forth an extreme effort to find beauty in everything. After a while the beauty should be coming out on its own.

Audio/Hardware Response

1. Discuss your experiences with building your microphones. Was this process more or less what you thought it would be? How did your microphone rig work on your Drift walks? Were you able to capture both overall ambiance and extreme closeups? Describe your ideal microphone and recorder setup, with unlimited time and money.
I had a rather pleasant experience building my microphone. I was worried throughout the process however, because it turned out I bought the wrong type of cord, a more thick one, which made the first couple steps of stripping the wire a little more difficult than they had to be. In the end though I successfully made a fully functioning microphone on time. The microphones worked perfectly well on my drift walks and I was able to capture both ambiance and close-up material. My ideal set of microphones would have the mics attached to the top of my wrists and the recorder attached to the side of my belt buckle, with the headphones around my neck, all of this wireless of course.

2. How was your experience with operating the MiniDisc recorder? How does this recorder compare to other audio equipment you've used? In an ideal world, how would your recorder of choice function?
I never really experienced any problems with my MiniDisc recorder. It is basically the only piece of audio recording equipment I have ever used, so as a first impression with that sort of electronics I would say it went over quite well. My ideal recorder would be more like an iPod. A larger screen for easier to understand menus with larger buttons and dial.

3. Discuss the audio-editing software you chose and your history with this application. If you used this software for the first time, explain why you chose this particular application and how you think it helped you to accomplish your creative goals (or proved detrimental). Will you use this software again for future projects?
I chose to use GarageBand to edit my audio recordings. I had never used this program before myself but had always seen other people using it. I downloaded Audacity and tried playing around with it before hand but it seemed complicated. I opened up GarageBand, had a friend point out a few tips, and marveled at how easy it was. I thought it helped me accomplish my goals due to how easy it was to understand and use. Sometimes I can become frustrated easily with technology and give up but after giving Audacity and GarageBand an equal tryout I knew I would have a better a experience with GarageBand and now that I have worked with it before and gained familiarity with it, I’m sure I will use it for projects in the future.

Ten Questions

1. Are there any places with natural acoustics?
2. Are there any piers stretching out to Lake Michigan with interesting things on it?
3. Are there any kinds of notable statues or monuments in the area?
4. Where could I find a rather large courtyard?
5. Is there a big fountain in the area other than the one on the UWM campus?
6. Where could I find the most unique architecture in my drift area?
7. Where are all the parks in the drift map area?
8. Are there any interesting (and safe) back alleys in the area?
9. What would be an interesting building to quickly go inside of?
10. Where could I find a tall vantage point?

Drift Assessment

1. Describe two situations that aggravated, bothered, shocked or otherwise stressed you during Drift 1. (Please note that the situation CANNOT be technology-related.)
One thing that caused me some distress over the course of my Drift 1 journey was the inability to escape the sounds of traffic. I came across a courtyard of an apartment complex with vines growing up and down the walls of the building. The vines among the walls were filled with birds whistling and singing to one another. The recording went well, however I could still overhear the traffic in the background. Another situation that caused me some stress was when my cell phone unfortunately went off during a recording. I had remembered to put my phone on vibrate, but I had previously set an alarm to go off to tell me when I should start thinking about walking back in a general homeward bound direction. The alarm went off loud and clear and rendered the recording useless.

2. Describe, with details, two situations during Drift 1 in which you felt unusually peaceful, at ease, or contemplative.
One place that stood out to me was definitely the intersection of Farwell, Brady, and Cambridge where I recorded multiple sounds from the landscape. The intersection was busy and alive with people all around and the trees were just starting to turn colors. It was the late afternoon so it wasn’t very bright, instead quite cloudy. The scene was beautiful yet casual. The temperature was comfortable enough to walk in a sweatshirt and shorts. I had only been to this particular intersection in Milwaukee once before. As I explored various parts of this area Milwaukee seemed to finally connect and I came away with a better understanding of the area around me. Fall has always been my favorite time of year and I just moved to Milwaukee for my freshman year. As I strolled through the busy intersection I began to feel like Milwaukee was feeling a little more like home.
I walked through Newhall St. a little while after I passed through the intersection of Brady, Farwell, and Cambridge. The color of the sky was still the same; gray, cloudy, but not necessarily dark by any means. The neighborhood was extremely nice. The houses weren’t very large but very nice looking and vintage. The houses seemed too expensive to allow the presence of college students. The neighborhood was quiet and full of trees and reminded myself of my neighborhood back in Plymouth, Wisconsin. I saw a father playing catch with his son on the sidewalk and was pleased to see happy families out and about enjoying the beautiful October early evening.

3. Describe three surprises or unexpected situations you encountered on your Drift and in the days that followed. The surprise could stem from your expectations that conflicted with "on the ground" realities, cultural or social issues of which you were previously unaware, feelings and reactions that you did not expect to have, appearances and soundings of things you did not expect, good or bad outcomes of "on the spot" decisions you had to make, or the discovery of "deeper" realities in the materials you brought home. (Again, skip anything technology-related!)
I came away from my first drift feeling completely different than how I expected prior to the drift. My reaction was indeed quote the opposite. I expected I would return from it tired, grumpy, hungry, and in need to lie down after a four-hour walk. Instead I returned at peace with myself. The walk was extremely comfortable, I never had to shed layers of clothing or add any. The environment I walked through was visually invigorating. I walked through both urban and rural areas that offered many beautiful sights and all the while I was able to clear my head and think certain things through. The walk contributed to what could be considered as a rather good day. Listening to the recordings a couple days later I was surprised at how stimulating it was to hear a real life urban habitat playing in my ears. All the other times I simply took it for granted, but as I listened with my headphones I learned to appreciate the sounds around me and gained a deeper sense of understanding to the environment surrounding me.

4. Describe your favorite experience, situation, place, or recollection from your Drift. Be specific about what happened, how you felt, how you reacted, and why you think this particular experience affected you so much.
My favorite experience would have to be the time spent at the crazy busy intersection of North Ave, Farwell, Ivanhoe, and Murray. An intersection much like that of Brady, Farwell and Cambridge, well lit with shops all around with people bustling in between, only by the time I reached this corner of Milwaukee darkness had fallen. On Farwell I came across the Oriental Theatre, place I had visited only a handful of times before moving here but always enjoyed the time spent there. I wandered inside for a while and thought about some of the great movies I had seen there like There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, and Crash. Movies I had seen with my father and my uncle or brother. After my brief peek inside of the Oriental I wandered across the street to Murray and walked past an overcrowded bar with Brewer fans spilling into the street, chanting and cheering about the day’s late-season victory. The sight brought a huge smile to my face, as I am myself a Brewers fan as well. The sight made me feel like Milwaukee had become even more homey than before.

Reading Response #1

I listened to the full episode of “Mapping” from the radio program, This American Life. The episode was about five individuals who partake in the hobby of mapping but who all did it differently than each other. Each person had a different style of mapping the world, each one using one of the five senses; seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. The program first began with the story of sidewalks in New York City. The law states, in New York City, that if someone should trip, fall and hurt themselves over a crack in the sidewalk, they are not allowed to sue the city unless the city had already been told to fix the crack prior to the injury. A group of lawyers then decided to hire a mapping company to go out every year and chart every crack and bump in the city, a map of cracks in New York City.
The program then followed a man whose hobby was to map certain things in his neighborhood. He had mapped all of the lights in his neighborhood as well as every house that had Jack O’Lanterns on their porches during Halloween.
Then, shifting to hearing, we visited a man who mapped out all the ambient sounds in his life, he compared certain musical notes to certain emotions and thought about during what situations you might hear those noises. For instance, being stuck at work in a cubicle could be compared to hearing music that made you sad.
Smell was explored by visiting a man who mapped out his world by smell while also visiting Cyrano Sciences in Pasadena, California where researchers are attempting to create an electronic nose.
The program then visited a woman who mapped out her own body by the sense of touch as well as a man who revisited Los Angeles and created a map based on taste.
I thought the program was very interesting. It seems like it could be a very interesting and fun hobby especially the sight technique. Although that may be the least abstract technique of the above listed, I thought it was interesting and cool how he was able to compare different maps he made based on sight. He compared the Jack O’Lantern map with that of a map that indicated the houses of people who were mentioned in newspaper articles or who wrote letter to the editors and was able to find parallels between the two.