neoscenes gateway
home |:[ travelog
i say:
snow. several chunks of corn snow came with the wind from the north of Siberia, across the Barents Sea. shredded clouds, with sun in between, took all the leaves down without touching them once. from far away, telepresence. so far, invisible.
members:
archive summary:
archives:
Add to Technorati Favorites
welcome to the neoscenes travelog
Welcome to the hopkins/neoscenes travelog -- notes, images, sounds, and video spanning more than 14 years of travel across North Amurika, Australia, and Europe -- reflections on the state(s) of being(s) encountered on the way, on average a new entry every 2.67 days! Joining the travelog allows you to post comments. Enjoy! -- John Hopkins

temporary suspension

09:18 -- Sat 16.Jan.2010 :: 1263658691
Primal Locus, Where Ever, Terra

apologies for the lack. you have no-doubt noticed the dearth of entries here. no travel, no entries, no kangaroos. all energy goes into the tech-no-mad blog at this point in support of the doctoral research. you may tune in there for tidbits and fragments sampled from the wide range of inputs sliced through. here will remain dormant for a time, methinks.

besides that, reflecting back on prior situations also dominated by remoteness. how there is no solution in distance. face-to-face has to ensue. sooner than later. (b)logging miles to return home where ever that place (of heart) might be. or not. e.e.cummings comes to mind, or so, while the Western Slope recedes from same.

but without stretching abilities, formative pathways, expressive outputs, little will come. the ecology of words is not sustainable. whilst closing in on 2 million hits to this project (since 2004)


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (542 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2016

sundry

16:44 -- Sat 28.Nov.2009 :: 1259451860
Sydney, Australia



catching up on bureaucratic things before the uni slows down for the summer.



testing the turbulent flow of cream in tea despite the good-natured jiving from the house-mates about the (my!) barbaric custom of cream in black tea.

the house becomes a sanctuary from the oscillating heat which cracks 40C. but days later drops to 15C, very strange, just don't have a handle on it. and meanwhile, spot Orion from Shar's roof -- it's upside down (Orion, that is), feet up, sword rampant, very disorienting.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (173 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2015

George Street

16:13 -- Thu 26.Nov.2009 :: 1259277201
Sydney, NSW, Australia



the bus, locus of social interaction of various and sundry sorts, going from Millers Point to the office. great for people watching (and interacting with), exhausting when the saturation point of sensory energy input is reached.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (124 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2014

point-to-point

16:04 -- Mon 23.Nov.2009 :: 1259017459
Bondi, NSW, Australia

down to the beach with Shar. point-to-point, touching down at the north rocks, then all the way across, west, to the Bondi Icebergs pool, wind was with me on the way west, but in my face heading back. I took it easy, about 40 minutes. looking at the ripple patterns in the bottom sand 10 meters below, watching for the occasional big set that could knock me out. beyond all the surfers, cool deep water. where are the Great Whites?


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (122 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2013

Can you come out and play with me?

14:29 -- Sat 21.Nov.2009 :: 1258838957
Millers Point, NSW

The following quick essay was for the last and final edition of the annual NetArts awards from the Machida Museum in Tokyo::

Grand Prize for this year, the online platform VisitorsStudio, is not a complete newcomer to the netart scene -- it's been running as a live visual-sonic collaboratory for a few years now. As a playground, it offers many degrees of freedom within what appears at first to be a restrictive environment. But, isn't it true that all play-places have limits? Your mother would never let you go off just anywhere and play. She would certainly approve of VisitorsStudio. The limits of VisitorsStudio lie primarily in the intriguing area of file sizes (more on that shortly). The interface is intuitive and straight forward, and without a steep learning curve, anyone can create mesmerizing works in no time.

The most obvious elements of digital mash-up play are the text, the image (still and moving), and the sound. Participants in VisitorsStudio may gather these elements themselves and using a rich set of live controls make compelling live mixes. There is an existing database of files to work with, or, you can prepare your own media library to upload and play with. This is where each sound, image, or video file is limited to a 200kb maximum size -- you will be surprised at what can be done -- the result is absolute proof that great things come in small packages.

VisitorsStudio is available for special performances and makes an ideal platform for educators in all settings who wish to stimulate imaginations with real interactive digital art -- its not simulated and its not eye-candy. As a collaborative tool, it does not aggressively take the foreground in the process, but rather works as a solid and supportive background element for seamless play.

Of course, the best way to enjoy a jam session is with a heavy-duty sound system and a 72-inch plasma screen or a video projector. You will be the resident visual-sonic artist. But intimate small-screen solo play is also very satisfying. The best feature is the possibility for live remote partners and audience. Invite your friends half-way around the world to join you in a jam session!

Technically, VisitorsStudio needs only an internet connection and a browser running the latest version of the Flash plugin. And, hey, if we ask, maybe they will port a Wii controller to VisitorsStudio! Wouldn't that be fun? Let's play.!


One of the Honorable Mentions for the 2009 netart award is SiTO's gridcosm project which, if there ever was a primordial interactive play-place online, this is it. Gridcosm was initiated by Ed Stasny way back in 1997 as an outgrowth of SiTO's live online image mash-up collaborations. That's in the PreCambrian era of internet time! It even has its own Wikipedia entry! But gridcosm clearly tapped into something fundamental -- with a fresh and accessible interface design; solid back-end code; and exuding a rare social sensibility of precisely what it means to collaborate online -- there are hundreds of contributors. A dozen years later, the collaborative space is continuously full with a vibrant and evolving palette of personalities and plenty evidence of creative juice spilling out onto the screen. The acronym SiTO originally came from OTIS (Operational Term is Stimulate) which was the motto of the nascent online collective collaboratory back in 1994 or so. So, kudos to gridcosm for sheer staying power and what looks to be a lively future. How many layers does an artwork need to have for it to be classified as cosmologically significant? Visit gridcosm and discover the answer to this profound question! It's an open project for anyone to jump into -- as are all the SiTO collaborative projects -- so, check it out!

fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (769 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2007

Pacific

21:59 -- Wed 18.Nov.2009 :: 1258606773
Bondi, NSW

meet Vernon, Marty's friend from the NSF for lunch and a wander from North Bondi. the beach resonates my SoCal memories. water is warm, finally. summer. I stop by one of the surf shops, looking at boards, find one like my 6'2" swallow-tail twin-fin. they even demark the boards in English measure. they are damn expensive, around AUD 1K each. wow! long boards up into AUD 2K. big business. there are at least 100 surfers out on the wide span of the beach. some of the breaks are nice, some are lousy. but there are some phat sets that come in every so often, like on Monday.

late in the day. at least an hour spent in the breakers. only dodging the 2-meter breaks, though. no body-surfing, too high-risk for the back, but some strong and far swimming in the Pacific, it feels great. this could, will become a habit. not so easy to juggle, though, when looking at rental prices out in the Eastern suburbs (of which Bondi is one). then there's the issues surrounding public transport to the uni to consider as well. no cheap answers. once Fort street closes down, alternatives will be tough to find.

later



when 11:11 rolls around, there are no rides left. 'nuf said.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (249 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2006

Victoria Pool

14:50 -- Sat 14.Nov.2009 :: 1258235446
Darlington, NSW, AUstralia



the pool closest to my uni office. 50-meter, non-chlorinated (but no one seemed to know what type of water purification system they used), it turns my silver ring a copper-brown on a 3000-meter workout. it's in the middle of Victoria Park and next to Sydney Uni as well. designated lane speeds, although I never see the guards enforce it, on the other hand, never really have problems with slackers. for casual workouts (i.e., not team or Masters workouts), I'm definitely in the fast lane, about 20% of the other swimmers can pace or exceed my speed. I thought the Aussies would kick my ass in the pool! not!



and then there is this bit of graffiti at the 11th floor of Building 1 (also known as "the ugliest building in Sydney"). got to bring this to the attention of the admin to do something about. somewhat innocuous, but still very disturbing.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (128 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2012

holding space and antinodes

21:20 -- Thu 12.Nov.2009 :: 1258086059
Ultimo, NSW

Non-doing defines doing. Sitting in stillness invites people to move. Getting out of the way allows people to fill space with their passion. Letting go of expectations leaves room for responsibility to come forth. All of this is integrity. Every piece of doing requires the strong presence of non-doing to anchor it.

Stifling every impulse to intervene, to give directions and orders leaves space for others to design their lives. You can create a container and then stand by and watch it fill and teem with life. You don't resist the natural movements of groups of people co-creating their futures. Instead you work on your own inability to be still, to want to own the outcomes, to want to invest your ego.

This is not your show. You are holding space, embodying space and being empty and full at the same time. If they thank you in the closing circle, you have not done enough. -- The Tao of Holding Space, Chris Corrigan


and a side note on one of the seven marvelous students in the Ways of Listening course I taught this term at UTS. Ash undertook a fine project Antinode, you can check out the process-documentation blog that she set up. nothing like be-ing in the analog world! her experiences definitely fed back into the overall success of the class. auspicious start to teaching in Oz!


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (442 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2004

die Mauer

16:57 -- Tue 10.Nov.2009 :: 1257897425
Millers Point, NSW



gah, it was twenty years ago (today)... how that refrain has activated this year. seems I was busy, very busy in 1989. in August, Stefan, Debra, Magga and I headed for Kassel from Köln and then on to Berlin. through the huge Charlottenburg checkpoint, past the Soviet tanks, after the surreal drive on the lousy autobahn where, if you stopped the car, you could be shot. We had a nice flat somewhere in the West, don't recall where. through Checkpoint Charlie we entered the East for a long day which started out at the Soviet Culture Center, went on to a impromptu visit with a photographer, Micha Brendel, (who I learned about from my gallerist in Lyon, France, Raymond Viallon -- and whose work resonates with the presence of the Stasi State) and finally ended up at a youth music festival somewhere up the river on an island. the high-point was trying to find food to eat and only locating one restaurant which of the handful of items on the menu they had only one. much more could be said, but I just want to the get the images up (a couple days too late, but).

earlier that summer I had noticed several things -- the first was the not-insignificant fact that the super-sonic overflights by the US military along the Eifel region (and Köln) had ceased since the previous summer when one would hear them on a regular basis. Germany had reclaimed its airspace from the occupying power. and secondly -- and easily as profound as Reagan's tear down this wall Mr. Gorbachev stunt -- I saw, but regretfully did not document, posters in the Vienna underground featuring Mr. Gorbachev in his fedora and heavy winter coat with a hand raised, palm facing outwards, and the simple text Lay Down Your Arms. as far as I noticed, there was no other text or attribution, and I did not remark about it to my friends who I was visiting. I thought to myself -- this is profound, and more profound things are on the way. My German friends would not accept the idea that a major paradigm shift was on the way. I was not surprised in November 1989 when it happened!


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (276 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2003

Coogee breaks

13:51 -- Tue 10.Nov.2009 :: 1257886310
Coogee Beach, NSW, Australia



finally a wander down to Coogee to see the beach there. crowded and busy in the late afternoon. the breakwater pool at the south end renders some nice images. kind of a Venice Beach vibe.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (66 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2011

Milsons Point amble

23:28 -- Sun 08.Nov.2009 :: 1257748116
Milsons Point, NSW, Australia





got to get away from the desk, at the uni and at home. so a (noisy) amble across the Harbor Bridge from the house into the near environs of North Sydney at Milsons Point, just opposite Millers Point. this would have been quite the dramatic river canyon during the ice ages -- when the coast was another 100 kilometers to the east, and Sydney Harbor was a deep river canyon cut through the sandstone. Luna Park, Sydney's version of Coney Island, is closed, as is the Olympic (and very expensive/posh outdoor) Pool.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (105 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2009

gray Clovelly

22:25 -- Fri 06.Nov.2009 :: 1257571512
Clovelly Beach, NSW, Australia


finally figured out that the 331 bus (leaving from in front of the house) goes directly to Clovelly. it's 25 minutes in traffic, but not bad. today wasn't the best day for it, overcast, some sprinkles of rain, but got some nice images for the Domination of Landscape series. and I never did like to take shots on clear sunny days anyway. I'll be back down here, sans camera, but with suit, fins, goggles for a good workout. apparently there is a 500-pound grouper that is can be petted! I honestly don't want to encounter anything that big in open water. a wander over by the Waverly Cemetery reveals the new pathway built between the cemetery and the cliffs, expensive and dramatic!


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (95 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2008

here, there, etc

23:51 -- Sat 31.Oct.2009 :: 1257058263
Millers Point, NSW



the play of reification. when mind stops, not confronted by any particular obstacles, but merely by an inertial lag. lacking the energy to proceed. while outside weather changes, un-noticed, unless it is rain. it has fallen below the threshold of modern awareness. inside people. like writing here. slipped by the side of lived be-ing.

wander over to to the Art Gallery of NSW to catch a screening of Gimme Shelter. flashing-back to Ancien Régime of mid-century Amurika, seeing the radical youth of that time -- youth who are now retiring boomers fighting to keep a big slice of pie -- what's theirs by right, eh? bah!



a stroll out to Sculpture by the Sea, an uneven sprinkling of expressions placed along the Bondi-Bronte path. Shar says the water is 19.5C, gettin' there. I'll be in before long. flammatory Thai dinner after that.

Willy and Andy unveiled a new blog, a collaborative effort covering "absolutely everything." Welcome to the blogosphere folks!


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (228 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2002

2SER

15:41 -- Tue 27.Oct.2009 :: 1256683315
Ultimo, NSW



students from my class who are also in Shannon's as well have a live network radio performance on 2SER (the Uni public radio station) from the main recording studio, so we break from Ways of Listening and move over to the control room to catch the show. after hanging around there a bit in the control room, I started to rue the fact that I didn't push for a live online gig around the Microsound 10th anniversary festivities that officially happens tomorrow. just didn't have the energy to round it up. maybe next year. the school has the infrastructure, and there is interest.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (241 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2001

CMAI office

14:39 -- Mon 19.Oct.2009 :: 1255988366
Ultimo, NSW



move over to the Bon Marche Bldg. into the CMAI office, it's free for now, so I take over a corner of it. aside from the air conditioning which cycles between +18 and +30 C on a fifteen-minute basis, it's quite okay. good to have a fast iMac in addition to my now-ancient pre-Intel G5 PowerBooks. they always feel dogged by the ten or so chunks of software I have open at any one time. Dreamweaver, Firefox with Zotero, iView Media Pro, Now-Up-To-Date, Thunderbird, BBEdit, Skype, OmniOutliner, iTunes, Photoshop, Acrobat, Terminal, SoundTrack, Peak, NetToolbox, Activity Monitor, and so on. work.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (191 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P2000

Temp°Sauna

02:42 -- Thu 15.Oct.2009 :: 1255599727
Circular Quay, NSW



Mika arrives back in town a few days ago from Newcastle and presenting Temp°Sauna at electrofringe (part of the this is not art event). the Nordic Embassy finds out and asks him to present the project -- in the foyer of the Dendy Cinemas right on Circular Quay next door to the Opera -- for the opening of a Nordic Film Festival. I cruise by on Thursday to help with the set-up which is a bit tricky because of a blustery wind blowing the entire evening, at one point almost knocking the whole rig over with the red-hot Finnish Army wood stove cranking away. there is a fancy opening with plenty of Finlandia vodka drinks, sushi, and posters from Saab and so on. at any rate, he managed to get a couple of the gals associated with the Embassy to jump in the sauna. I did too, with only one question -- when would the next opportunity arise to do a real Finnish wood sauna there on the Quay? it was plenty hot, and we had a good laugh hanging around in towels as did the guests watching us at the opening reception. it's a nice scene, and so I hang around to help shut everything down after some hours.

back again tomorrow?


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (264 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P1999

Angel Place

02:36 -- Wed 14.Oct.2009 :: 1255512969
Sydney, NSW



Angel Place, one of those darkish urban voids produced by vertical development and poor planning, is host to the Forgotten Songs installation as part of the Hidden Networks program. sounds of extinct and near-extinct species that once filled this very ground before colonization. the bird (sounds) are in cages. what brilliant human-applied alterations of flow does (temporarily) to natural systems. when's equilibrium gonna happen?


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (177 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P1998

elevator music

19:17 -- Fri 09.Oct.2009 :: 1255141077
Dulwich Hill, NSW



down to the Don't Look Gallery, Greg's culture-project over the last few years down in Dulwich Hill, to catch another Shannon O'Neill performance and a gig by Random Acts of Elevator Music. it's pissing rain much of the time which adds another layer of sonic ambiance to the evening. after the performance, Carolyn takes me next door to the amazing Samir Abla Lebanese pastry shop, where they have an eight-dollar special box of mixed goodies -- mmmmm. good night.

and now this blog has 1900 entries. gah.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (172 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P1997

(in) no time

15:31 -- Wed 07.Oct.2009 :: 1254954673
Ultimo, NSW

Willie Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys), Minors (Manorina melanocephala) ...

that entry stopped there. no time to observe and note things when constantly consuming texts and coping with the daily movements. it is highly inefficient to commute for this kind of work. research is 90% online, and moving between home and the office sucks up at least 1.5 hours a day. strange that it is able to absorb so much time when it's just a short distance away. walking takes about 40 minutes each way, though, and waiting for the bus and the slow crawl down George Street is tedious. I find that the mind-space that I take on when in that mode is very unproductive and deadening. I observe, while hearing is constantly assaulted, occasionally some energizing encounters, but the dominant Asian sense of personal space I find deeply conflictive with my own. and the reflexive sensory protocols I developed through the time in the desert and mountains has been thoroughly destroyed -- no stars to see, not even planets, and it is only in the 16th-floor office that its really possible to watch the weather develop albeit through heavy windows that cannot be opened and are filthy on the exterior (I cleaned the large inside pane of the window immediately over my desk, much to the amusement of several of the other grad students). optical clarity -- if I'm forced to look at the world through a glass filter, it's got to be clean!

the best situation would be the office/desk set-up in another room of the living place. productive work depends only on the network connection, the availability of a relatively unobtrusive sonic environment, and a way to make tea. the idea that (school) work and living are separate boxes, or boxes to be separated, is a traditional view which I find to be counter-productive to a holistic praxis. of course, having fun is necessary, and work can be quite fun, depending on the sustenance of a sense of humor about it all. it is an absurd process, after all, gazing at glowing screens, watching the colored Lights, entranced by the causal nature of keystroke and changing configuration of limited sight.

of course, the importance of social relation is key as well. I find that robust encounter: attentive, directed, relaxed, wide-ranging, inquisitive, and playful to be the most rewarding. I probably am lacking some of this here, without any close contacts, but the few folks who I share time with in the program are smart and engaging.

so what now?

it looks like this will work. settling in for the duration. more-or-less. but do have to focus on getting out away from town. I might sublet Nigel's place about three hours out of town for part of next year. it doesn't presently have broadband, but they might get that installed. anything to be outside the city. (walked over to Paddy's Market yesterday afternoon, started down the steps to the fruit and vegetable stalls, and just turned around, the whole place was jam-packed with people elbowing each other over the goods). ach.


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (314 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P1996

many impressions, no time

22:14 -- Mon 05.Oct.2009 :: 1254806065
Ultimo, NSW

where to start. what to write about (if there ever is time to write here). impressions, expressions, observations, actions. food shopping: Woolworths, Coles, and the thousand-and-one small Asian food shops, and Paddy's Market, 7-11s for expensive junk food, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Japanese fast-food. vomit stains smeared on black cut-basalt (rhyolite?) sidewalk paving. up-scale-chain consumer fashion depots line George Street, my commuter trajectory. Ruger, Winchester signs over one empty shop-front, across the street from the Greek guy selling swords, Swat boots, and GI dog tags. the rest of the neighborhood Chinese-owned shops. restaurants with open fronts, tables spilling out onto the sidewalk, with one Lebanese place with hookahs. and the pubs, packed from Thursday through Saturday nights. late. girls with impossibly high-heels limp along tugging down impossibly short skirts that hike up at every tottering step. blokes, the NRL blokes, with bulging tee-shirts and vaguely Maori tattoos on biceps. and the suits. the business class. busy, very busy, very very busy. Japanese manga girls or so, adorned, liberally with things and things with accessories and feathered black hair and pale milky skin. Anglos, red patchy skin, (it's the latitude), sometimes Tilley hats (I can't bear to wear my new one at risk of appearing like one of these). baseball cap will have to do along with plenty of sunscreen on my UV-challenged nose.

the now-famous dust storm of '09 I mostly missed except for the ubiquitous aftermath -- a red layer of material as fine as chalk dust, such that, when wet, turns immediately into a dense pigmented wash impossible to really remove without numerous passes with a clean rag or sponge. the red morning I slept through, though I was aware of something irritating my nose and pressing on my lungs. the smell of ancient land laid bare through the efforts of hydrocarbon-dependent mono-culture farming. dust-bowl.

lunch with Morgan who just got into town a few days ago to work for CuriousWorks doing some workshops in WA (West Australia) starting on Sunday -- six weeks in the Out Back helping kids tell their stories -- Shakthi, CEO of CuriousWorks joins us. interesting organization facilitating creative learning solutions for under-privileged kids in under-served areas of the country.

alternating between productive dialogues, confluences, paths-crossing, and total wasted moments, with a feeling that the wasted ones are gone completely, life's energy diffused into the cosmos. not to raise the state of being one iota. dark energy, dark matters. the moments understood are the opposite, streaked with Light and Lightness.

Rather than distribute a message to recipients who are outside the process of creation and invented to give meaning to a work of art belatedly, the artist now attempts to construct an environment, a system of communication and production, a collective event that implies its recipients, transforms interpreters into actors, enables interpretation to enter the loop with collective action. -- Pierre Lévy


fried by: jhopkins | [0] comments (567 views) 
permalink: http://www.neoscenes.net/travelog/weblog.php?id=P1995
 
next >>
they say:
Luetteloi elämäsi surut ja numeroi ne. Kasaa vastaava määrä kiviä. Lisää kivi aina kun on surua. Polta lista ja arvosta kivikasan kauneutta.

Luetteloi elämäsi ilot ja numeroi ne. Kasaa vastaava määrä kiviä. Lisää kivi aina kun on iloa. Vertaa kivikasaa surujen vastaavaan.
--Yoko Ono, instruction in an exhibition
media links:
calendar:
search:
feed:

Add to Technorati Favorites
stats:
donations:
your input is necessary for neoscenes to maintain a presence. join in supporting the neoscenes webspace and the ongoing work of artist John Hopkins -- many thanks for those who already have!

subscribe:
the neoscenes mailing list is a low-volume announcement list of streams, projects, and bytes of info culled from the neoscenes in/out box: subscribe
now reading:
read this:
watch this:
updated: 02-Feb-2010 10:12
©1994-2010 :: hopkins/neoscenes
site optimized for firefox