creativity/machine

When as now I’m struggling with the agony of trying to write for publication, which means attempting to communicate carefully and clearly, and not unattractively (as opposed to ranting inadvisedly), encountering one of Dan Hill’s longer blog entries is without exception guaranteed to make me ever so slightly envious.

The way the street feels may soon be defined by what cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Imagine film of a normal street right now, a relatively busy crossroads at 9AM taken from a vantage point high above the street, looking down at an angle as if from a CCTV camera. We can see several buildings, a dozen cars, and quite a few people, pavements
dotted with street furniture.

Freeze the frame, and scrub the film backwards and forwards a little, observing the physical activity on the street. But what can’t we see?

—-

We can’t see how the street is immersed in a twitching, pulsing cloud of data. This is over and above the well-established electromagnetic radiation, crackles of static, radio waves conveying radio and television broadcasts in digital and analogue forms, police voice traffic. This is a new kind of data, collective and individual, aggregated and discrete, open and closed, constantly logging impossibly detailed patterns of behaviour. The behaviour of the street.

This is a lovely essay (with great images) that asks us to imagine the now-future city, and to mentally re-assemble what we already knew was there so that the street is (I think literally) understood as a platform. Dan then asks some good questions about the implications of that re-envisioning for governance and regulation. Even if it’s a metaphor, it’s an effective one.

Although the “yes, but” question about who is connected and the unevenness of agency of course comes to mind, along with the slightly panicky one, “But how do you turn it all off?”

Worth a read.

Update: Not two minutes after I finished this post, Luca twittered the new Cisco ad.

Wow, kind of contrasting invitations to imagine the future, there.

I guess if we don’t want to deal with the micro-politics of our everyday relationships to technology, as Dan describes, there’s always techno-utopias that manage to render technologies all-powerful, endlessly imprintable with benign human desires, and invisible, all at once. Magic.

Yay! A showcase of work from three members of the Brisbanites Flickr group:

Manfreds Bar, The Valley
Thursday 20th July, 7:00pm

A collection of photographs will be on display which seek to explore Brisbane and some of it’s lesser-known areas both above and below the city streets. These may be the things you walk past everyday unnoticed or the areas which only a few brave souls would dare travel.

What’s on Show: Architecture, Tunnels, Abandoned Buildings, Cemeteries, Cityscapes, Rail Yards, etc. Various styles, B&W, Color, Night, Day, Abstract, Still life.

The exhibition will be held at Manfreds Bar in the Valley, Thursday 20th July from 7pm onwards showcasing the works of three local photographers. Entry is free and all canvas prints displayed will be available for purchase on the night.

Manfreds Bar
Thursday 20th July, 7:00 pm
293 Brunswick Street
Fortitude Valley, 4006
Tel: 07 3854 1881

A couple of years back (how time flies!), I got very interested in urban exploration photography, and even published an interview with the then-anonymous local artist known as dsankt who is behind Sleepy City, a project that has yielded some quite beautiful photographs of subterranean Brisbane. Recently Sleepy City joined forces with other like-minded artists to mount an urban photography exhibition in Fortitude Valley. Unfortunately, it was on the 22nd of June so I blinked and missed it, but it’s great to see these photographers getting the attention they deserve, and I thought it was worth a mention - there are plenty of photos on the website if you’re interested.

Update: More Brisbane urban exploration photography at Mr. Magoo ICU’s Flickr page.

I especially like this stark and beautiful shot of the Tennyson Power Station’s last days - it wasn’t accorded the same love and attention as the New Farm one, that’s for sure.

Some colleagues of mine have just started a new interdisciplinary email discussion list that should be of interest to anyone working on cities/urban spaces:

multipliCity — Conversations on cities

Multiplicity is an online discussion forum for all matters urban. As paradigmatic of the modern and postmodern experience, the city remains defiantly at the epicentre of a conflated, de-centred multitude of discourses and disciplines.

The aim of multiplicity is to generate discussion and foster ideas that can illuminate theoretical and creative approaches to the city.

Multiplicity, as its title suggests, celebrates the diversity and eclecticism that are irrevocably associated with actual cities as well as city discourses. A broad range of informed discussion topics, conversations and perspectives are sought.

Please join us!

Sad news via Molly Steenson. Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities and several other books to which Floridean “creative cities” arguments owe a lot more than you’d think, has died at 89. The NY Times has a long and thoughtful piece about her life and work.

If you’re in Sydney next Wednesday and you’re interested in the history of new media technologies in relation to cities, space or place, try to get along to hear Scott McQuire talk about his current research:

Public Space in the Media City

University of New South Wales Media, Film and Theatre Seminars
5pm, Wednesday 26 October 2005
Robert Webster building, Room 327

Scott McQuire’s research explores the social effects of media technologies, with particular attention to their impact on the social relations of space and time, and the formation of identity. He is currently writing a book, The Media City, that traces the way in which cities have become increasingly media-dense environments, transforming previous conceptions of public and private space. What happens to the place we call ‘home’ when the transnational networks of both embedded and mobile media have become ubiquitous? How do they reconstruct public urban space as more interactive and performative?

Scott McQuire teaches in the Media and Communication Program at the University of Melbourne. Among his books are Crossing the Digital Threshold (1997), Visions of Modernity (1998), The Look of Love (with Peter Lyssiotis, ,1998), Maximum Vision (1999) and Empires, Ruins + Networks: The Transcultural Agenda in Art (ed. with Nikos Papastergiadis, 2005).

I also highly recommend Scott’s book Visions of Modernity to anyone interested in the cultural history of photography and visual technologies.

The Network of Un-Collectable Artists (NUCA) is preparing for the Limited Edition release of a set of BubbleGum Collector cards documenting the activities of Australia’s 50 Most Uncollectable Artists.

NUCA is a brand new nation-wide affiliation connecting those who gravitate towards ephemeral projects, participatory experiences, illegal art actions, and activities that oddify everyday life. Some members make unwieldy installation projects, while others alter billboards, project images in abandoned spaces at night, or exchange ideas rather than objects. Some simply make dead ugly paintings that would never sell. Because such artworks are often fiendishly tricky to document, they seldom grace the columns of “recognised” publications. NUCA is building a publicity machine of its own, so artists may exchange essential info about their activities, collaborate on new projects, and connect with Un-Collectable others

It’s actually funny that this should pop into my inbox (via fibreculture), because I’ve continued to be intrigued by the practice of writing, painting, and photographing the dark underground of the city.

Which reminds me, the other day QUT hosted a (promotional) talk by Richard Florida. I’d read the book, and thought some of it was pretty true, and some of it makes for more of the kinds of urban planning I’d like to see. Encouraging, rather than discouraging, neo-bohemias (his term, not mine) seems all very good to me. But when I left the talk, I just felt that the ideal city being described and desired (by the suits in the front row) was too clean and shiny. My exact words were, “I feel like going home to the country and playing under the house” - a cool, dark, unpopulated place where all country kids love to play imaginative games. Which led me to thinking about sleepy city again, and how too much urban regeneration may not be such a good thing. Which is why the Powerhouse is generally not detested by even the most cranky lovers of urban decay - keeping the graffiti, the roughness, the rusted things, is what has given it a kind of creative tension and a productive continuity with the past that is loved by locals and artists alike.

I wanted to try something different from the usual formulaic “link+commentary” blog posts, so I decided to conduct a blog interview with the mysterious urban explorer behind the Sleepy City photography project and website. I was very pleased with the insights the interview generated, and I’ll certainly be doing more of them. Enjoy!

Jean: First of all, it seems to me that there is a fair bit of creative urban documentary photography happening at the moment (e.g. Satan’s Laundromat) but what you’re doing is more unique. What inspired you?
Dsankter: Perhaps you should say uncommon - there are people world-wide documenting similar environments. Inspiration comes from everywhere, the more you observe the greater range of experiences and ideas you have at your disposal. It’s like a novelist trying to write without ever leaving their room. I guess thats all a bit vague, specifically I get inspired by discarded bits and pieces and the hidden places I never noticed.

Can you share some stories or anecdotes about how you accessed various locations and set up shots?
Boating is my favourite way. The boats are cheap, nasty and not puncture resistant. It’s dangerous because in the drains the tidal water rises fairly quickly and the implications of airspace running out are obvious. However if you time it right the tides carry you along nicely and you don’t have to paddle. It’s lots of fun, I just wouldn’t recommend it to anyone stupid enough to actually try it. Sometimes I wonder about the sanity of our little group!

Taking photos underground can be difficult because it’s confined, damp and dark. The setups vary as much as the shots themselves. The setup is different depending if you are painting with manual flashes, wireless flashes, torches, fireworks, natural light or any combination of the above. Sometimes you just aim and hope for the best.

I remember trying a fisheye shot from underneath a passing train. The tripod was flat on the ground wedged under the rails. The camera was pointed up at 45 degrees or so. From memory the exposure was about 25 seconds at F8. It was triggered via IR remote control. The noise of the train was deafening and we werent 100% sure the train would clear the camera. At the time the risk seemed worth taking. The camera was fine and the final shot came out okay. I’d love to try it again though.

How about the technical stuff - equipment, digital manipulation etc.?
Film! ISO 100 or slower for reduced grain. Digital is too expensive but if Canon offers me an eos 1ds then I’d jump in a minute Honestly you could take any of my photos on a manual focus oldschool slr. That is the cheapest option, though it is nice to have AF when you’re shooting action and sports.

I love the wide perspective and it’s suited to the tight places but I shoot a little telephoto for variety (and to justify buying a long lens!). You need the option for the perspective that best suits your subject. A good tripod is your best friend. Independent leg adjustment and low angle options are things I couldn’t give up. The ability to mount the centre column horizontally has gotten me photos I would have missed. When I get the photos back I quickly forget the cost of camera gear

I keep digital manipulation to a minimum, being about to control everything at exposure is practically a science. I would love a full set of colour correction filters but at 77mm they get expensive quickly. I use tungsten film (64T) and gels to colour correct, but small colour adjustments are easier and quicker in photochop.

Can you tell us something about your professional background or life story?
I started taking photos mid 2002, it’s amazing how much information is on the internet at places like www.photo.net. They make it easy to find the answers to difficult questions. If the answers aren’t there then break it down to first principles. I’m not a professional photographer (I wish!) but I get enough sport photos published to cover film and processing thankfully.

Instead of a proper life story, I’ll say you never know where the things you do today might lead tomorrow. That first step into urban exploration has taken me to places I’d never guess. Screw thinking outside the square, I’ll be off looking in the corners for secret exits.

Do you see yourself as an artist, an explorer, a photographer, or perhaps a combination of all three?
It’s like the 3 magi in evangelion Anyway, I don’t consider myself as an artist - my camera is a way of documenting what’s around me. To me the artist label has the wank factor and the ‘artistic interpretation’ attached. Obviously a stereotype, but one I don’t really need to explain. I don’t see myself as creating art, I feel like I’m shooting the story of my life. The places I go and the people I’m with. The explorer label fits more easily. I think the more soot, dirt, bruises and cuts you have when arriving home the more fun you had. I take photos, so photographer fits also.

What do you think of Brisbane’s transformation since the late 80s/early 90s into this gleaming postmodern/creative city?
I was born in the 80’s so I won’t comment on the earlier periods I know little about! However even in recent years you can see how much Brisbane has been pillaged. Massive amounts of historical real-estate has been converted or demolished to make way for apartments. Even heritage listings are not safe, the old Newstead gas works is on the chopping block for development.

Still the changes to brisbane are making it more livable, less of an eyesore (to most people) and probably more attractive to tourist dollars. There’s nothing to gain by thinking of what’s gone, but I still cringe when I see the ‘renovated’ CSR sugar building (.pdf) at Newstead. Next up is probably the Tennyson Power Station. […] Ultimately it’s for the greater good I guess, though its nice to entertain the selfish thoughts sometimes!

I love the little cracks of old that shine between the polished front of the city. The old gutters, manholes, lightposts and buildings are there, you just need to look a little harder.

Do you have any plans for your work beyond your (seemingly anonymous) website?
I would love to shoot commercial/industrial photos, something along the lines of Tom Paiva’s work or Bob Sacha’s. I’ve only just begun to consider shifting it from a hobby to a profession after the popularity of my site lately. Since metafilter picked it up the traffic has been amazing.

Would you like to see other people taking up the themes of “underground” explorative photography, or embarking on similar projects?
The loneliness and quietness of the underground appeals to me. It’s a temporary sanctuary from the advertising, pace and problems in the world above. I sincerely hope that the underground never becomes popular and exploited. As time passes the mainstream absorbs the more obscure hobbies and the greedy chase minds and dollars. I hope the underground can avoid this and remain a little haven for those lost souls who find their way downwards. No doubt that sounds terribly elitist, but we are very attached to the places we visit. Noone wants to see them trashed, locked up and demolished.

Images of the bits of Brisbane that don’t match the shiny postmodern marketing at sleepy city:

Through the decaying doorframe or that unnoticed metal hole wait adventure and sights few will ever see. All it takes to step across into this parallel world is a torch and a curious spirit. No joining fees, no ridiculous contracts and nobody looking over your shoulder. You might be surprised how little of your city you have ever appreciated.

Thanks to the null device for the link.

The project installation Their Circular Life uses digital technologies to present quite ordinary images of urban life in an innovative way. It is similar to panoramic VR presentations, but instead of allowing you to “fly” around viewing the scene from a number of different perspectives (so you feel that you are controlling the spatiality of the scene), it allows you cycle back and forth through time, controlling the pace of a day in the life of the city, and hopefully reflecting on the pace of everyday life in a wider sense. I really couldn’t stop playing with it.

Even more exciting is the news that the project has gone open source. From what I can gather, creating a similar installation is only a matter of having some basic photography, sound recording, and flash programming skills. Hmm…feeling tempted to get together with a photographer and have a go myself.

Thanks to consumptive for the link.