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At the Corner of 9th and Hope; You Hear Here Me — 2010 Oct 31

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  • At the Corner of 9th and Hope; You Hear Here Me — 2010 Oct 31

    Timeslip. A post I wanted to make on the day, but couldn't for several technical reasons. I suppose it more or less won't matter; it'll be properly Arranged. Here, then:

    It's October 31st, 2010, several hours before the REDCAT performances of The Fifty Year Sword. My traveling companions and I have driven from the heart of Georgia, encamped just southwest of the REDCAT, and have been traversing the city by foot and train for the better part of the last 48 hours.

    Gathering our things for the shows, one of us decided to excurs herself to the Fashion District, where she happened upon the Cat Hats I summoned on the way into LA. We had pointed up the road, saying "Let's meet there, at that Tea Leaf."

    Once there, we realized it was on the corner of 9th and Hope.

    Here we are:

    IMG_2827 by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr

    Oh, and the signs a little more clearly, a little more fiercely (that's me on the right):

    IMG_2824 by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr

    And I won't go into the fervor of that time, of the connections sprunging up everywhere; we talked and read and noted and listened ceaselessly for several days, mostly about Danielewski's books, and the results of those conversations are slowly trickling onto the forums.

    I won't bring too much attention to the hoarseness of voice that the barista shared with me. That she might have been named Gracie Redwood. That everything seemed entirely too... Dark Tower, frankly. All parts aligning. All paths ordered. Ka-tet assembled. How I had to get snipsnipscissors to release the parallel lines of honey for my tea. No big deal.

    There are... so many things I won't elaborate on right now. Now, it's just show-and-tell. A few more pictures to show you. Do you mind?

    There's this courtyard, somewhere between our hotel and that tea. A big business building. Apparently it's illegal to photograph tall buildings, since the World Trade Centers were photographed destroyed by airplanes, or even to photograph the art surrounding a tall building, as a zealous security guard was repeatedly reluctant to inform us. However, these photographs were obtained, at great personal risk, for the benefit of the forum.

    In this courtyard, a collection of artworks co-created by pairs of visual artists and poets. Beautiful pieces in and of themselves. When considered in a haze of revolutions and cats, they took on additional meaning. I wonder what you think of these pieces?

    The whole set is here, with much more interesting material:


    A few choice samples:

    IMG_2762 by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr


    IMG_2764 by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr


    IMG_6852 by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr


    IMG_2773 by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr

    This enormous iris hovered over a pit of commerce, and at night was illuminated by thousands of blue points of light.


    IMG_2795 by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr

    And, most pertinently, one of a set of three gold silhouettes:


    Like you, glad worker, the cat hungers before noon. by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr

    And, in closing:

    IMG_6882 by N. O. Splendorr, on Flickr

    There's much more, potentially, to say, but I'm trying to overcome my own inertia and backlog of potential posts and live presently. In today. Which is October 31st, 2010.
    Last edited by Splendorr; 12-05-2010, 08:49 PM.

  • #2
    Is... I... do you guys not like the pictures? No commentary on the artworks? Cats/worlds/vowel substitution/etc notwithstanding?

    Cat hats not doing it for you?

    Anybody live in Los Angeles wondering where that is, exactly? Anybody who's seen it care to comment at all?

    Anybody want to discuss intertextuality, interartistry, how the Question of the Animal and of our relationship with Nature and the World is on the minds of many artists and authors and what that might mean for our contexts and our (possible) futures?

    Even how silly it is to forbid photographs of art in the name of national security, and how fear affects reason and how when fear becomes , it becomes something else entirely? Like, fear is making those decisions, but then it becomes integrated into the systems, and the guy on the ground is just carrying out orders, he's not afraid of me with my little camera and my tiny backpack, but he's still trying to convince me that it's for our safety that I can't be a tourist and photograph art for further consideration later.

    How art and contemplation are compromised by systematic cowardice cum bully pulpit?

    I'm game! You let me know what you need. I just want to talk to you guys. Look at me, pleading. Groveling, basically! Civility and conversation. Hey, yeah!

    Or I'll just keep speaking calmly into the gaping silences, and eventually something will hear me.
    Last edited by Splendorr; 12-05-2010, 08:53 PM.

    Comment


    • #3
      You only gave us 2 weeks to look at the pics, you'll have to be more patient.

      Comment


      • #4
        Actually Splendorr, I did enjoy your post - even took some time to peruse your flickr. I can take or leave a tiger hat*, but the floor tiles caught my attention since I am presently on my first read through of OR. They resonate particularly strongly with the concordance, I think. Do you know anything about the works? I'd be surprised if they are wholly outside the range of MZD's influence, or else if he is wholly outside theirs. (Unless of course, there is some overarching influence lurking in LA that gives both creations that particular, hmm, flavour [?] of word and chromatic play).

        Thanks for the pics.

        *That's a lie, who doesn't want a tiger hat?

        Comment


        • #5
          actually given that LA is so important to TF and the resonance of the symbols in your pictures is, to say the least, intriguing I would actually like to know where they were taken.
          I hope I have not forgotten the face of my father by responding to such an old post.
          Thankee sai

          (of course now i cant help but wonder if Maerlyn's Rainbow might not be an influence on the orbs of the ...Just hw many orbs do you think there are?

          Comment


          • #6
            QuiteBaffled, I appreciate your interest, and all questions are welcome here.
            At least for me.
            The mists of my own orphic memory are wild,
            but I think it was behind this bank building, here:

            https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0489.../data=!3m1!1e3

            we wandered from the mayfair
            where we snuck onto the roof

            across a highway spanning bridge
            which is another kind of roof

            a man in a suit told us "no pictures"

            we said "okay"

            but needed proof


            ...


            exploring downtown LA on foot is an experience I will never
            fully
            forget

            and its resonances are woven deep within these works.

            lately i've been reading the allowed to my lifelove
            as a bedtime story.

            its pages kaleidoscope before me, and even as i read
            smoothly with my voice the words in their order
            i am roaming these streets of imagination and padding
            with other paws through everything i still have yet to fully call

            ---

            god, six years
            Last edited by Splendorr; 04-16-2016, 06:29 PM.

            Comment


            • #7
              I was reading one of my favorite books, Good Omens and I read a passage that made me think of your posts.
              "God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of his own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players, to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time."

              Security guards in suits always get nervous about pictures. Mind you, I think a tiger hat should preclude one from being considered suspicious. Nothing nefarious happens when wearing tiger hats, unless your a super villain.
              So as a hapless Canadian,anything about the city I should direct my eye towards that might help with The ?
              As is I'm considering doing a google streetview tour through some of the books areas to get a better feel for it all.

              Comment


              • #8
                google streetview tour
                I actually did that for the crime scene from Vol 1 a year ago when I was bored in work. Here are the fruits:



                pages 170-171
                "To the east, Consolidated Auto, across Arlington, New Heights Charter School, a palm tree, pines, and across from Coin Laundry and Lucky Liquor."





                "To the west, an abandoned office building, gate locked, but one door blown open, a mailbox on the corner with a sticker of Elmo LCF, 2nd Avenue, jacarandas in bloom, Living Truth."




                pg 176
                "Before leaving, Özgür finds Detective Balascoe and points to the southeast corner of MLK and 2nd.
                “He went that way first?”
                Özgür shrugs.
                “Only to double-back?” Balascoe still not seeing it. “I don’t get it. Why?”
                “Look for the money inside. Maybe even some flip-flops. Sealed up in big envelopes. And you didn’t hear it from me,” Ozgür adds."



                You might notice one thing missing: Where the hell are the jacarandas in bloom?

                Comment


                • #9
                  This map is AMAZING. I am working on my reread and was thinking how much it was gonna suck to have to do all this and lo and behold (.: how can I hear behold:.) I stumble upon this!

                  Thanks again.

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