TFC: Classes Complete

five [Tues, 8-Dec]

We headed to the Proboscis studio in Farringdon for the final time ready to present our completed City as Material urban interventions.  (Check out mine here.)  We headed back to South Kensington for our final Networked Media Arts guest lecturer.  And then at the stroke of 4:00pm, we were done with classes in London…

John, Avey, and I headed to our local gastropub The Prince Regent.  We’ve actually never been there before and I’m so glad we stopped in–it had precisely what we needed!  We ordered drinks/food (Mediterranean plate, chips–some of the best food I’ve had) secured a couch and took advantage of the free wifi, sending in our finals and officially calling the semester a wrap.  We hung around for a bit more to play a game of Scrabble and eventually headed home to check on our procrastinating program partners…

Lauren finished her paper!  Then the fire alarm went off.  So, instead of standing outside Manson Place the two of us went to our local pub, The Zetland Arms, to celebrate.  John met us there later and we spent the night reminiscing…and talking to a very interesting Romanian physical therapist.  Yup, definitely going to miss the London pub scene…

TFC: Monday Madness

six [Mon, 7-Dec]

The day began with our final day of Monday classes: The Network Metaphor and New Renaissance with Don Foresta and our check-in hour with Fred.  It was very suddenly sad once we realized we would never be seeing Fred again (we would be seeing Don the next day) — he was a great contact to have this semester in terms of exploring London, and his British Cultural Studies course was probably my favorite in terms of aligning with my interest in television and expanding my cultural horizons on it.

The afternoon was work-work-work.  It was time to get down to business in the Vassar world as we all tried to complete our finals.  I can happily say I completed my City as Material project to be presented on Tuesday and the first drafts of my papers for the other courses. Woohoo!  All that was left to do was celebrate while taking a well-deserved breather…

And that’s when I encored Monday Madness at Sticky Fingers!  After first going with Madre and having a great time with great food in a great environment, I decided it was precisely where I needed to be on my final Monday night in London, further facilitated by the fact that I am out of food.  It actually sounded so great that Avey and Mike decided to join me — once again, the company made it so enjoyable.  We strolled through our neighborhood to High Street Kensington while chatting about how soon enough these streets would be a distant memory instead of familiar stomping ground.  Upon arriving, we went British with Pimm’s Cocktails to start, followed by a round of burgers (I went with the classic Sticky Fingers Burger…and remembered how much I love red meat; Avey stayed true to her vegetarian roots with a Veggie Burger; Mike went gourmet with the blue cheese and caramelized onion rendition).  And then dessert happened.  We “dared to share” as the menu suggested and tackled the Sticky Sundae.  We also got festive with a round of shots named after Rolling Stones songs: Brown Sugar for me, Stray Cat Blues for Mike, and Jumpin’ Jack Flash for Avey.  In a nut shell: yum, yum, and yum.  I haven’t gone out to dinner with friends in incredibly long, yet another treat aspect of the outing.

We told ourselves we walked it all off on the way home………………….right.  Basically there was nothing else to do but veg out on the couch and let the phenomenon of digestion run its course.  Avey and Mike did some work while we embarked on a Kill Bill Vol. I and II marathon.  I was in a great place with work which worked out well since I could dedicate my full attention as it was my first viewing.  I absolutely loved the films, and the Monday in general!

Productive Pleasure

October Break got off to a great start!  I decided to do some research for my London: City as Material course by heading to the London Transport Museum, and Mike decided to join (we are the two Vassar kids holding it down in London while the others frolic around Europe).  A summary of the productive part of the day can be found on our course blog here.  I must admit, though, it was some of the most fun I’ve had in a museum, which is saying a lot given all of the time I’ve been spending in them since I’ve been here.  I suppose there were a few factors at play that made it particularly enjoyable for me: the topic, public transportation, is my favorite of Urban Studies; the curatorial design struck a fine balance between being interactively fun and legitimate; the aesthetic was very Marie-friendly (let’s just say hot pink was involved).  It truly was great playing while learning.

Afterward we decided to explore to surrounding area of Covent Garden.  Mike had a hankering for a chocolate croissant, and we found the perfect cafe in the middle of the market for him to indulge.  We also had the lucky pleasure of having live entertainment: a fantastic opera singer accompanied by herself and 3 men on cellos!  They were amazing, and as Mike so eloquently put it: “I feel like we’re on the Travel Channel right now.”  It was definitely a European moment.

We strolled along, stopping into cute, unique boutiques: an old fashioned toy store, a sweet-in-many-ways candy shoppe, a specialty tea shoppe, a quirky magic book shop, and a professional make-up store decked out for Halloween.  The best part: all the freebies we picked up along the way!  Who doesn’t love tea tastings, sample fudge, and skeleton lollipops?!

The evening consisted of going out for delicious food and company with a friend from a flat in the Manson Place basement (that’s all I’m going to say).  Mike met up with Taylor Self, a fellow Vassar junior who is here for the week on October Break thanks to her family’s house in St. John’s Wood (about 15 minutes north on the Tube), so I got to see her once we all got home.  It was great to have a piece of the Hudson Valley across the pond, and I look forward to hanging out again since she doesn’t leave until Saturday.

On another note….when did it get to be 20 October?!  I can’t believe how fast this trip, semester, and season is flying by!  I can’t believe I’ve been in London for such a significant amount of time; I can’t believe I’ve been in London for such a short amount of time. Oh the temporal humanity……

City as Material: Caught by the River

Today’s City as Material session involved another epic stroll through the City of London.  Emerging from our above ground research from the past two weeks, we decided our main destination would the Thames Riverbank.  Off we went…

First Staircase

Hunters in the Thames

The Explorers

Giles hopping up and over

The Ladder

Bones

Thames River Path

Pedestrian Subway

Thames River Path

Second Staircase

Teeth

Soon enough, it was time to head back from the water.  But that isn’t to say there were still many more pictures to be had…

The Monument

The Monument

The Monument

Leadenhall Market

Leadenhall Market

Lloyds Building

The Underwriter Pub

St. Helen's

Guildhall

Guildhall

St. Lawrence Jewry

It was a lovely excursion on a quintessential London weather day.  The blustery mist inspired a chicken and vegetable soup craving, which I am satisfying now.  While the soup heated, I cleaned off my treasures.  I skipped snagging any bones (ew) but did manage to find some great broken ceramics and pretty pearly shells:

Thames Treasures

Gotta love free souvenirs!

Finsbury Frolicking

Tuesday’s MALMATE class met at Furtherfield’s HTTP Gallery, also home to Solar Associates and the workplace of Lauren, Mike, and myself.  We led the group out to the edge of zone 2 and on the walk into zone 3.  After discussing many examples of media art happening in London and having lunch at the gallery, Mike and I decided to stroll through Finsbury Park instead of heading hoe with the rest of the group; we pass it every day, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity (not after a long day of interning) to meander through.  It was bustling with families and young children, and we enjoyed exploring the suburban areas of London.  I was most impressed with the play areas in the park, and, if Mike wasn’t with me, I probably would’ve indulged in a swing session….not going to lie.

broadwalk

playground/tree house

gardens

lake

lake

swings

sand park

skate ramp

train track overpass

train tracks

train tracks

British Cultural Studies: Nationwide

I really enjoyed this week’s lesson since it connected so strongly to my favorite aspect of media/cultural studies.  Through the lense of semiotic theory we discussed on a study conducted by David Morley using BBC’s Nationwide as its text for analysis.  Nationwide is basically the British equivalent of the Today show, a news magazine program[me] that aired from 1963 to 1981, but in evening primetime, on BBC1…obviously I’m intrigued!

This is precisely what I was hoping for from this class: taking the same theories I’ve already become familiar with and applying them to British examples as a way of being able to draw parallels while exploring another culture’s approach/affects.  I have read Encoding, decoding every semester thus far, and I am not complaining.  I love the text, probably because of how much it relates to my interest in television, most specifically the roles of and relationship between producers and receivers.

Looks like I have a new programme to investigate…thank goodness for the internet archives!

22-Sept: City as Material

Tuesday was another amazing session of City as Material!

We began the morning at Proboscis by watching Films of Charles and Ray Eams, Volume 4, the work of two American designers that combine the sensibility of the artist/architect with concern for everyday life, its functionality, and its beauty in simplicity.  We then watched a much more experimental piece: Klipperty Klop by Andrew Kotting, a parody of land art that highlights mad, eccentric, British humor.  The closing title pretty much said it all: “He was in one of those queer moods.”  The two greatly contrasted each other, but were also complimentary in seeing how differently appreciation for the everyday can be expressed.

Bearing these in mind, we sat for a brainstorming session on how we are going to intervene into the everyday life of London for our project.  The common point of interest that emerged was abandoned/lost space within the city.  In the end, we divided initial research into two realms: above ground and under ground; our first step in the process is to discover spaces, such as underground tunnels and rivers, abandoned buildings, and hidden alleyways.  Although the rest of the class seemed most intrigued by exploring above ground, I gravitated towards below.  Comparing the underground structure of London to NYC has already captured my interest and is a topic I was planning to explore on my own; the fact that I can incorporate that investigation into my academics while here is amazing, and further proof that I am exactly where I should be doing exactly what I’m doing this semester.

It was time to mobilize, and Giles lead us on a new route from Farringdon Station north (a famous Italian enclave) through Holborn, Islington, and Finsbury with a stop for lunch at Exmouth Market — although I packed lunch, the others indulged in delicious ethnic cuisines that filled the street with an alluring aroma.  We picnicked in a nearby park and reflected on the themes that emerged from our excursion: the varying topographies of the city and the functioning of reused and mixed-use city space.  Hopefully the following photos will communicate the nature of this and why those themes were so relevant during the walk:

Commissioners of Sewage

Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Postal Sorting Office

Ecmouth Market

Exmouth Market

Bone House and Graveyard

Picnic Spot

Pinic

Three Corners Adventure Playground

Three Corners Adventure Playground

Clerks’ Well

Clerks’ Well

Clerks’ Well inscription

Criminal Court

St. Paul’s

St. Paul’s

Memorial

Piccadilly Whip

Piccadilly Whip

Upon returning to Proboscis, we set up a blog for the course that we will be using to document our research and our experiences!  We haven’t implemented a design for the page yet, but stay tuned for a fabulous piece of online documentation.

Giles also put together another post-session route for us.  I embarked on the first portion, past St. Paul’s and over the Millennium Bridge, but left the group once I got a call from Annie Black.  That’s right, my freshman year roommate and Texan counterpart is in London for the semester as well!  She is studying at University College London in Bloomsbury, and I immediately headed there to help her settle in.  We scouted out her campus and walked down Oxford St. to Primark to get towels and hangers (nice job being out, Argos), and obviously stopped for her first London pub experience (in true student style, she went with Strongbow, I with London Pride).  We headed back to her flat and I made sure to tuck her in with some Gilmore Girls–the only thing that made me leaving okay.  I’m so glad she’s here…welcome, girl!

Academics (oh right) – Week B

Monday, 9:45am – 12:45pm: British Cultural Studies – Frederik Lesage @ FIE

Our first session was dedicated to discussing the meaning of culture, its construction, and approaches to studying it.  We met up with many old friends — Raymond Williams, Louis Althusser, Stuart Hall — and although comforting to learn that I’m in on the media/cultural studies scene, I am hoping that the course resists turning into a repeat of Media Theory (Spring ’09) and starts directly connecting to British culture in general.  As the session moved into a seminar discussion from the lecture, I realized that having those common theorists to reference is a necessary step in comparing two cultures from an academic approach.  And hey, I’d rather have to re-familiarize myself with articles and theorists for a course than navigate completely foreign, dense text

Ethnography – Fred encouraged us to take an ethnographic approach to our time here, and I realized that I [luckily] already have.  I suppose this is the best way to articulate my approach to the semester abroad; I’ve been dutifully filling my Moleskine City File journal, taking in-the-moment perspective photos, and keeping this blog — three media that I engage with several times on a daily basis (and that have physically traveled with me through the city).

Monday, 6 – 7pm: Internship Meeting – Frederik Lesage @ FIE

We recapped the first week of our internship and decided on a new activity to participate in.  Every week we will all decide on a certain event that we can attend, explore, and discuss the following week.  Our first assignment: Open House London.  I’ll definitely be checking that out this weekend, just need to decided which one…

Tuesday, 10am – 1pm: Networked Media Arts in London: The Maps and the Territories – Ruth Catlow @ FIE

We began with an exercise in identity construction: taking four post-its, we wrote our name and three statements about ourselves, one being a lie.  How well do you know me?  1) I sang the National Anthem at the Cole Brothers Circus when it came to Staten Island; 2) I was born in a NYC cab; 3) My first name is shared with both of my grandmothers.  Ok…you probably know it’s #2, but my professor has no idea who I am!  The exercise made me realize how well the 7 of us have gotten to know each other over the past two weeks, since most of us knew what the others were lying about.  It’s great to know we are forging such extensive relationships that will [hopefully] translate into heading back across the pond.  Next, we constructed a list of the ways people are connected, ranging from material to immaterial manifestations — again, this reminded me of how connected we are becoming just from sharing this experience together.  We moved into an overview of network structures, and Ruth was very interested to hear which technologies we were utilizing in our everyday lives.  All of us realized just how dependent we are on technologies and networks: a sign of the hypermediated times!

Ruth also set up a blog for us to document and interact with during the semester (http://www.furtherfield.org/malmate/) and a Twitter account (http://twitter.com/malmate), both of which we will use for our first assignment.  Each of us was given a media art to investigate, and I was assigned Peckham Space for the fortnight!

Academics (oh right) – Week A

The program alternates classes every other week.  The internships are always Wednesday through Friday.

Week A

Monday, 9:45am – 12:45pm: The Network Metaphor and the New Renaissance – Don Foresta @ FIE

Our first class was a comforting one — very Vassar, very manageable, but very interesting.  I was lucky to have done the reading on the plane since it wasn’t looming over my London head yet still fresh in my brain.  Don is a fountain of knowledge, spewing phrases that streamline what I’ve been studying at Vassar into phrases I couldn’t help but furiously type into my Word Notebook document.  I am greatly looking forward to drawing from past knowledge and applying new experiences to the material we cover.

Monday, 6 – 7pm: Internship Meeting – Frederik Lesage @ FIE

This meeting will occur every Monday night as a way to reflect on our internships and share London happenings we hear of and experience.  For the first session we shared our expectations and goals, and decided to set up an email chain where we can all share relevant event info.  Fred already sent us some, and I can’t wait to get out there!

Tuesday, 10am – ?: London: City as Material – Giles Lane @ Proboscis

The word class doesn’t even begin to give justice to Tuesday.  We decided to officially refer to it as a session.

On the Tube we went for our first commute to Clerkenwell; Giles requested that we meet with him at the Proboscis office, a.k.a. the most awesome studio work space ever–full of creativity and the necessary tools, as well as a full kitchen and a circle of floor cushions where we sat and chatted about the course.  After an hour and a half of conversation and a plan to head out on a walking excursion through the local area, it was quite clear that we were in for the greatest learning experience of our lives this semester.

Exciting excerpts from the syllabus:

“The focus for this class willl be in considering the role of the city as material for artistic experimentation and creation…In addition to contemporary practice the course will consider the rish histories of urban intervention by artists in London and elsewhere.”

“The class will be co-creative”

“Things we can do: Observation/guerilla ethnography; seedbombing/guerilla gardening; stencilling/drawing/sketching; street performance; urban play/games; urban sensing; temporary installation and contraptions; posters/postcards/eBooks/flyers”

Sections entitled “Some Films We Can Watch”; “Some Boks We Can Read/Refer To”; “Some Places We Might Visit”; “Tools We Can Use”; “Some Links.”

I can successfully that this course will help me fulfill my goal of absorbing and being absorbed into London.  The prospect of participating in it artistically is invigorating, but I am most excited for seeing how the city affects me.  Physically representing that seems to be my main goal at this juncture, and knowing I have the resources of Proboscis to utilize is unbelievable.

After returning from our walk with Giles through the surrounding (phenomenal) area, we returned to the studio for lunch (he was kind enough to prepare pasta and salad–not only delicious, but totally budget friendly!).  He invited us to stick around and hang out, an invitation extended to every time we meet, but we decided to seize the sunshine and head out on another excursion.  Giles stayed in the office but was kind enough to prepare a route for us on Google Maps.  Complete with a stop for refreshments at his favorite pub and patisserie, the walk was the perfect end to a perfect day, a day already a perfect beginning to an amazing semester.

We even made it onto the Proboscis website! http://proboscis.org.uk/1369/city-as-material/

Smithfield Market

Cattle drive –> car park

Smithfield Market

history-festive

St. Paul’s looming…

St. Bartholomew’s

St. Bartholomew’s

St. Bartholomew’s

St. Bartholomew’s

St. Bartholomew’s

St. Bartholomew’s

St. Paul’s Tube Station

Hello St. Paul!

Great Area

St. Paul’s

St. Paul’s

The Milennium Bridge

Thames Banks

Milennium Bridge — St. Paul’s

Milennium Bridge — Tate Modern

Alley

Historic meets Modern

The Barbican

Museum of London

The Barbican

Cittie of York Pub

Lincoln Inn Fields

Maison Bertaux

Airing my feet out after a long day…