[after 5pm]
it’s a crowded sunday. families, kids, commencement at brown is happening in another room on the same floor. i am flooded by the crowd when leaving the hall d. i feel deep quiet.
it’s easier for the people to sit down if they’ve already known me before. i feel the impulse that they want to talk to me in person as usual, but they come and leave like other visitors. i meet two previous encounters on the bridge today. both i write and describe a lot in my journal. they are sitting in front of me. both of them show up at the time i am reading the entry that not relates to them.
i am reading under the reversed order today.
i feel less about the time.
it’s easier for the people to sit down if they’ve already known me before. i feel the impulse that they want to talk to me in person as usual, but they come and leave like other visitors. i meet two previous encounters on the bridge today. both i write and describe a lot in my journal. they are sitting in front of me. both of them show up at the time i am reading the entry that not relates to them.
i am reading under the reversed order today.
i feel less about the time.
[around 5pm]
[around 4pm]
[around 3pm]
[around 2pm]
[before 12:30pm]
a lady is coming towards, two times, politely asking us to leave. us, i mean, me and Richard. i am still reading, i want to finish the page. i want to extend the experience for Richard as he comes and sits down in front of me right close to 5pm. neither of us know we would meet in this situation today. i was reading a journal entry that includes him right before he comes.
Richard sees me from a distance, in between the ceramic works. i read his face as surprised. he might not sure what i am doing here. so he approaches. he doesn’t hesitate too much and immediately sit down on the chair. he might read a bit of the statement but i am not sure. initially, he keeps a mysterious smile while listening, slightly narrowing his eyes. later on, as he sits longer, i look up a bit and see his eyes, i can feel he is settling down. he is observing my hand gestures and i bet he knows what i am exactly writing, he is resonating more than listening. i am close to the ending of first entry, written on 9/21. the beginning. the lady comes again, reminding us to leave, Richard stands up, i finish reading, re-tie the rope, record my voice to mark the reading, turn off the recorder, put on my shoes and bag, check the material table - still two signed agreement so far, no new names left - then head to the camera table to mark the name and put the camera in my bag. Richard stands still all the time, remaining at the same spot, witnessing the entire process, close to my table, motionless. it’s rare for the audience to see this ending wrap-up process. i turn back to him - he is still standing close to my reading table - and mouthing ‘bye, talk to you later’. he nods, smiles and applauds a little, quietly.
Richard sees me from a distance, in between the ceramic works. i read his face as surprised. he might not sure what i am doing here. so he approaches. he doesn’t hesitate too much and immediately sit down on the chair. he might read a bit of the statement but i am not sure. initially, he keeps a mysterious smile while listening, slightly narrowing his eyes. later on, as he sits longer, i look up a bit and see his eyes, i can feel he is settling down. he is observing my hand gestures and i bet he knows what i am exactly writing, he is resonating more than listening. i am close to the ending of first entry, written on 9/21. the beginning. the lady comes again, reminding us to leave, Richard stands up, i finish reading, re-tie the rope, record my voice to mark the reading, turn off the recorder, put on my shoes and bag, check the material table - still two signed agreement so far, no new names left - then head to the camera table to mark the name and put the camera in my bag. Richard stands still all the time, remaining at the same spot, witnessing the entire process, close to my table, motionless. it’s rare for the audience to see this ending wrap-up process. i turn back to him - he is still standing close to my reading table - and mouthing ‘bye, talk to you later’. he nods, smiles and applauds a little, quietly.
[around 4pm]
kids around me. a woman holding a baby sleeping in her arms is approaching. she reads the statements for a short while, then leaves.
a middle age woman sees me reading and is reading the statement holder first, briefly, without sitting down. she turns to the material table then, read for a while, and back to the statement. not too long, she directly comes to the chair and sits down. she listens me reading for a while. in the end, she becomes the observer, using the camera capture me and a family with two little girls walking in the background. she says ‘thank you’ to me like most listeners would do.
a young girl is walking around my spot, no other is around. sometimes she would stop. or maybe hesitating if she shall sit down or not. she leaves without sitting down in the end.
an elderly woman comes and stands behind my to the right, observing me. i am pointing each line with finger. she might be curious about what i am reading and why i need to point it out.
a middle age woman sees me reading and is reading the statement holder first, briefly, without sitting down. she turns to the material table then, read for a while, and back to the statement. not too long, she directly comes to the chair and sits down. she listens me reading for a while. in the end, she becomes the observer, using the camera capture me and a family with two little girls walking in the background. she says ‘thank you’ to me like most listeners would do.
a young girl is walking around my spot, no other is around. sometimes she would stop. or maybe hesitating if she shall sit down or not. she leaves without sitting down in the end.
an elderly woman comes and stands behind my to the right, observing me. i am pointing each line with finger. she might be curious about what i am reading and why i need to point it out.
[around 3pm]
Matthew returns to the place. he is passing by the material table and ready to leave the space without notifying me, as i’ve invited him for the show. almost out of instinct, i drag myself out of the reading situation and call his name. he waves hands to me and directly walks towards, sitting on the chair. he has not read any statement and agreement. he just ignores those. he has no clear clues about what i am doing here and what’s the law in my piece. i keep reading before he has a chance to say something else. he sits here for quite a while, i am reading another entries instead of the swanman chapter. (he is the swanman). i look up for some times. his smile changes from confused, surprised to confirmed. (he was asking me about this project as it was still blur for him. so i invited him to come and see. mlater, he puts his bag on the floor, he might guess i would read endlessly. but sooner, he puts back the bag, saying ‘i don’t want to occupy here for so long, for other people’. then, he reads the material table for a long time. i wish he would not sign the agreement as i only have one unsigned. he leaves, we exchange with smile while i am reading.
a man stands and reads the statement for quite a while, switching among three tables. he then talks to his partner for something while watching over me. the woman comes towards and spends longer time at the statement, watching me reading from a distance. neither of them sit on my chair.
a man stands and reads the statement for quite a while, switching among three tables. he then talks to his partner for something while watching over me. the woman comes towards and spends longer time at the statement, watching me reading from a distance. neither of them sit on my chair.
[around 2pm]
a man with a hat sits in front of me. with a patient and serious face, i read it as he is empathizing me. his back slightly hunches. at the same time, a young man takes the camera and begins shooting for us. his friend is standing still at the camera table. i wonder if the man with a hat didn’t sit here, would this young man still take the camera and sign the paper. i exchange smile with the man sitting in front of me when he leaves, but miss the chance to make contact with the young man.
i change the seat to the front again.
a boy wearing regalia comes into the area with his family. The family scatter into other pieces while he approaches my spot. watching me reading for a while, then seems carefully reading the agreements. nearly an hour later, he suddenly shows up in front of the material table again, like missing or double checking something. he leaves without sitting down or signing the agreement in the end.
[around 1pm]i change the seat to the front again.
a boy wearing regalia comes into the area with his family. The family scatter into other pieces while he approaches my spot. watching me reading for a while, then seems carefully reading the agreements. nearly an hour later, he suddenly shows up in front of the material table again, like missing or double checking something. he leaves without sitting down or signing the agreement in the end.
i walk into the space, directly to my chair. a man who has been wandering gradually stops moving, watching me sitting on the chair. he approaches me, saying ‘like a status from surreal’.
i drag the chair closer to me, it’s on my right.
i sense the belonging while seeing my table from a distance and walking directly to the spot. gradually.
i drag the chair closer to me, it’s on my right.
i sense the belonging while seeing my table from a distance and walking directly to the spot. gradually.
[before 12:30pm]
this writing documentation shall transcribe what happened and how it felt at the convention center as faithfully as possible, with minimal personal reflection mixed in. it is written after leaving the center, generated from my memory.
photo by an observer on 5.24