Put Something There

My put something there project found me. I sat down in a restaurant (Macaroni Grille) and I saw that there were crayons sitting on the table. At first, I just thought the crayons were for a kids placemat or something, but then I realized that I was able to draw on the table covering itself. I couldn't pass this up.

I decided to draw something every time I received something that I ordered, be it drink, salad, main course, and dessert. What I drew depended really on the first thing that I felt. It sometimes was a word, maybe a little bit of scribble, and a lot of time it was a picture. When I left the table to leave, I thought about the waiter who will look at this completely covered tablecloth, and I wondered if I left a part of myself at the table.

Participatory urbinism

http://www.urban-atmospheres.net/ParticipatoryUrbanism/index.html

I stopped driving on the way to the bank, pulled over and began watching the people who passed me. I took pictures of these people. For me, this was watching my back. looking at the future of the same spot that I'd stopped at, but if I didn't stop this would've bee the things behind me.

follow

I was thinking about the way we view and follow celbreties. I pretty much know and have seen all of Robert De Niro's movies, not only that but I know his height, when he was born, and his wife's name. It's creepy because he doesn't even know I exist, and yet I know a lot about him, not just pretaining to his movie career. It's funny that the people we follow and realate to the most, are people we don't even know. But these celebrities feed off the audience. Some people can't live without being followed.

This was an extremely creepy assignment, but by the end I was extremely paranoid about being spotted. I started out following this small red car, which just happened to be the first car that I turned behind. I took my girlfriend along to take the pica, so I wouldn't crash into anything, and I tried to maintain a safe distance so they couldn't see in their rear view who I was and what I was doing. I followed this car for about five minutes on a straight path, and then turned into a CVS parking lot with them, I waited while the man went into the bank, and his girlfriend stayed in the car. When he came back out I attempted to follow them but they turned when I wasn't able to so I followed the first car I got behind, which was a ford explorer I believe. This car turned many times, and I followed, but they began to pull ahead, and I realized I was going sixty trying to keep up. I wondered if I was spotted. Anyway, I was able to catch up at a red, a few seconds later they turned into shopping center, and I followed. When the man stepped out of the car he headed into a dry cleaners, but not before looking right at my car. I took off. This assignment was fun for me. It's crazy all the different paths one can go down when you're following people. They're leading you and they don't even know it. It's a cool experience.

For my creating a new situation in my community project, I made a little Happy Presidents Day card for my fellow neighbors who I've never talked to before. Even though it's not until the 19th, it's still the closest holiday besides honesty Abe's birthday. Anyway, I figure I'd create a new situation by developing a friendship between people who live right near me, but who I'd never had a conversation with in the two years since I moved in. Thus, making them feel good about getting a card in the mail (people always want to be loved), and making me feel good about attempting to relate to people. I haven't gotten a response yet because they probably think I'm insane, but that's just the price you pay for greatness. Besides, I don't get my hair cut, so I couldn't do that.

For my reorganizing my room project, what I did was meticulously clean my sleeping space. I believe this worked on many levels because not only was this what I had to do because I live with my girlfriend, and she didn't want me moving stuff, but also, you wanted us to change the way we perceive our room, and have to change the typical directions we move strolling through it. No longer do I have to avoid the shoes and pants on the floor, and make a left at the hamper to sit at the computer chair, where there's no space to put anything. And no longer will people thing were disgusting slobs when they see the way that we sleep. And now there's not four feet piles of junk on top of the dresser. I've actually messed around with space of my room by not moving everything around, but by clearing unnecessary stuff out of the way. This is why I feel what I did works for this project.