Intoxicated Pilgrimage

This pilgrimage was crucial to my understanding of, and appreciation for, walking. I began at nine am and walked to my first home where I poured myself and my host a glass of wine from my backpack. The pack was filled with four large bottles, and with each house my load became lighter as I became increasingly intoxicated. I visited every home I had ever entered by people who I was aquainted with. The conversation was never directed, but rather every different home I visited provided for unique conversation based on my relationship with that person. Some of these visits were incredibely awkward, as I saw people who I hadn't seen in years, and visited some people I didn't particularly like. Every visit contributed to an emotional instability that was mimicked by the wine's effect on my walking.
 I did not return home until two thirty am, and I am estimating that I walked at least twenty kilometers throughout the course of the day-evening.One of the most hilarious events that ocurred throughout this walk was my attempt to purchase pizza.. I legit stood infront of the till for ten minutes trying to find my money in my coat before the manager kindly asked my drunken ass to leave. As I became increasingly intoxicated I also began to start jumping fences instead of taking the paved path in order to save time. These incidents lead to some pretty painful cuts and bruises.
In my final presentation I decided to exclude the audio takes that I had made in between visits as they didn't really seem to fit in.. Apparently I like to rap when I walk and drink, and try to find "a coexistance between my energy patterns and the energy of the trees". Even with the exclusion my brilliant audio, I am ultimately happy with how my video turned out. I put in almost the same amount of time walking the project as I did editing it!
After taking on this walk, every other walk seems achievable. Places that seemed far before seem far no longer. I want to walk! I also had a much better sense of direction on foot then when I was in a vehicle because I was able to pay more attention to everything around me, even under the influence of alcohol. People also SEEMED more open for conversation once they noticed that I was in a position of drunken stupor. I literally had aforty minute conversation with a man at the corner store who infromed me about his muslim religion and the misconceptions that Western culture has of it.
The walk is ultimately something I would consider doing again, even without artistic purposes. It was challenging, but it was enlightening in its' own strange way.

Response-Labyrinths

Labyrinths and Cadillacs: Walking into the Realm of the Symbolic

     The reading begins with the authors description of a blue cadillac in Chimayo that has been painted with religious imagery, or more specifically the crucifixion of Jesus. She discusses that the Plaza in Chimayo that used to be full of men and women who would use the space as a courting ritual by lining up adjacent from each other and preforming a dance. She discusses the nature of walks and how they change throughout the years, as instead of lovers walking the plaza, the space has been filled with vehicles preforming a similar type of motion. The same thing can be said for the crucifixion imagery of Jesus, these images line the walls of almost every church where the walk can be visually retaken by followers. The most significant part of the reading to my study on labyrinths beings when she discusses the pilgrimage, and how the act of walking a pilgrimage is an attempt to access the same space or ritual as a saint who made the same walk years before. Walking therefore does not become just a physical act, but can imply spiritual intentions. "To walk the same way is to reiterate something deep; to move through the same space the same way is a means of becoming the same person, thinking the same thoughts:"(68). The author then discusses her first encounter with a labyrinth at the Chartres Cathedral where she became aware of the connection between the labyrinth and life's journey in general.  "...sometimes you have to turn your back on your goal to get there, sometimes you're farthest away when you're closest, sometimes the only way is the long one(69)." Walking does not just have to be a mode of transportation, but can be a way of accesseing a different space which connects to life's journey in general. She discusses the possible origins of the labyrinth but concludes that both its purpose and its creation remain ambiguous.

 When I continued my research I discovered that there were quite a few different types of labyrinths.

The Reims Labyrinth                                  The Cretan Labyrinth                          The Chartreuse Labyrinth 

Each labyrinths name corrosponds to the places they are most likely to be seen, but the most common rendition of the labyrinth is done in the Chartreuse form. The potential for spiritual understanding is often the reason why these labyrinths are created, and with the help of the labyrinth society labyrinths are becoming more common in the Western world. The lady from this clip for example, created her very own labyrinth in her backyard, and discusses the healing that comes along with walking it.  

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/08/my-faith-how-walking-the-labyrinth-changed-my-life/

I also came across a clip that shows you how to draw a labyrinth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT9BdWMrvnA&NR=1

In drawing the labyrinth you almost experience a similar meditative calm as you would walking it.

Overall, labyrinths are pretty cool! Everyone should walk one once!

I think i needed to go on one big ass walk- from 10-230 am, to actually fully appreciate walking. I WANT to walk now, that is all.

I wanted to wait until tomorrow to sort of break this up but I still feel like writing!

 Pacific Mall, hm...

       I am truly happy that our class is one that is courageous enough to stir shit up. To do anything in public is absolutely exhausting but wonderful because you can almost make yourself an actor- fulfilling desires, but you HAD to, right? -It's for your art project. Its almost as if you can justify yourself for being someone you may have always wanted to be without feeling silly publicly.  I enjoyed feeling as though I didn't belong, but at the same time I really struggle with it. I have such a hard time creating artworks that are involved in other racial spaces or concepts because I feel as though things are still so touchy it is awkward to try to find a place, even though we may have total positive intentions. 

  I struggled with the setting of Pacific Mall because I felt as though almost every artwork I did HAD to became relative to the cultural environment I was in. I know that was the point, but i mean.. a bunch of predominantly Caucasian people walking into a mall, which is known for its Asian identity, with the intentions of stirring things up simply by being "strange", is still sort of awkward. I to was apart of  this, but I am wondering how all of you feel about it? How do you feel about making an artwork in a place that is centered around a culture different than yours? I am not sure there is a right or wrong answer but i feel it is necessary question. I have wanted to explore other cultures with my artworks but I feel almost as if it I am imposing. Do i limit my artistic queries because of politics, or should politics always be considered as relevant? 

I became aware of the fact that I was a minority in the mall. The shop keepers almost expected me to walk in and not buy anything, and judging by the "no photograph" signs everywhere they see a lot of tourists. I found the inability to photograph an annoyance, but really, who the hell wants flashes going off in their store every five seconds when it becomes a tourist location? Is it our Canadian right for Pacific Mall to be treated like a tourist location in the first place? Im not so sure. 

 I legitimately struggle with finding my boundaries in a racial context. Public places or not, I don't know how to explore some ideas and be completely appropriate at once, because everything is seemingly inappropriate one way or another. 

 My partner and I decided to leave a subtle trace of ourselves by purchasing ten 'lucky charms' that cost fifty cents a piece from a man in the mall. We placed them in jean pockets of other clothing stores, so that someone who tried a lucky pair of jeans on may find one. It almost felt like we were stealing, by placing our hands into the jean's pockets, but we were really just redistributing bought goods from the mall into another setting of the mall. In some cases the shops would be so tight my six foot 170 frame would have to pretend to try jeans on in the change room in order to achieve the proper placement of the charms. I'm sure this seems absolutely obvious and ridiculous to anyone reading the blog, no explanation necessary. I could tell the store keepers would wonder why I was bringing a size six into their change rooms but they were USUALLY too polite to say anything. My collection consists of the noise of specific places in the mall to comment on the hybrid of cultural background- American music and Asian voices, etc etc. My independent piece is me starting from one end of the mall and walking to the other complimenting almost everyone I saw on something they were wearing. I loooooooove your shoes, I LOOOOOOVE that vest. How else do you communicate with a complete stranger in a consumer environment where you come from two different cultures? - this doesn't even work as most people didn't pay any attention to me, not thinking I was talking to them, I am ASSUMING because of our cultural differences.

 (These three dots haunted me, what do they mean)?? 

        

       All in all, I wish this difference didn't exist, I wish we all just understood that we are all here for the same goal. Even more, I embrace the difference, I crave it, it would be a horrible world without it, but where do I fit in? 

P.S. I realize "Rain Walk" is the most lame blog name ever.

   Having never created a blog before I thought that would be the name of my mini blog, not my main blog. I'm not sure how to fix it, or if I can, just ignore it. Secondly, I realize I am posting twice in one night about two walks, but its all the same anyways, i promise. Plus, i find it appropriate to discuss this walk in particular at a later date, because it goes hand in hand with the work itself. The thoughts are always THERE! even though the event was before now.

       MY FAVOURITE WALK, was the walk we took in Oakville. I loved every second of hearing that beautiful couple's voice in my head. It created such an incredibly strange feeling of nostalgia for something I have no right to feel nostalgic for in the first place. I would say that a significant amount of my artwork focuses intentionally on time and space and the relativity of the where and now to our circumstances. Every thought goes into one line ------------------------------------ - not broken, that we can access and make real at any point in our future, our feelings may change, but its all there. Time cannot be linear! How lame. The walk sort of reminded me of my favourite movie as a child, the Little Princess. I am not prepared to specifically describe why, (watch the film) but the point is that it was sort of mystical. Imagining another person in my exact place as I walk from one garden to another triggers crazy emotions about how I feel about my own place in the world. It's funny how they can be discussing an issue almost completely separate from my own, but I can relate to it independently- translating directly to the differences in the walks we both share-similar walk, different experience with the walk, different experience than the dialogue, similar connection to the overlaying message of the dialogue. Brilliant! Time and space are so intriguing and irrelevant.

Ill look into some cool shit for you guys to check out later, and I'll add some pictures, but right now I feel only like writing, uploading sucks.

Found out how to change my main blog thing, its not quite as lame.

Mushrooms!

My stink horn <3,

 It is interesting how we have certain habits as human beings that spill out into almost every activity we do. While scavenging for mushrooms I felt an addictive, competitive urge to find the most amazing fungi possible, I see how it could easily become an obsession. I found the shape, colour and even the way the mushrooms hardly held on to whatever they had attached themselves to extremely ...silly. I enjoy knowing that the stupid little things can cause brutal deaths. Adding to their phallic appearance, the shitting, vomiting, spitting, and whatever else ingesting them can induce is very captivating and has the potential to be a fantastic total body                                                         cleanse if there is a way to do it appropriately.

I am fortunate enough to have grown up in a small town, like most others who are drawn to Guelph, where I have been constantly surrounded by forestry. The forest has been my playground while I was younger, and a place to breathe as I get older. I swear every time it is a different experience, it is therapy.

MUST WATCH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRZ2Sh5-XuM&feature=player_embedded

enjoy walking friends.


 i personally favour this one, don't worry it's better a second time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AlrhwJ203A&feature=related