[after 5pm]
a face keeps haunting in my mind - the last person interacts with me today. it’s rare to meet someone both be the listener and observer (photographer). after reviewing the photos they takes for me, especially some last shots, i feel this person truly reads this work.
the longer i pause reading, the more i can feel my voice is surfacing from the surroundings. throwing a stone on the river.
i feel a strong vibration and shaking underneath today. it might be others sound works. i imagine it’s an earthquake. shall i run? i wonder why don’t i feel the same intensity on previous days.
more observers taking pictures for me today.
i read much more slowly. i enjoy the slow reading.
i remember yesterday an old man with a walking stick sitting on the other side of the space. it seems like he is watching at me from a far distance. or it might just be my illusion.
i gradually understand what kind of work needs ‘close reading’.
[around 5pm]
[around 4pm]
[around 3pm]
three young friends come. they are gathering, talking around the camera table. almost every of them sign the paper and take a shot. one of them sits in front of me, others take a picture of this moment. i look up, she wears a nose ring. later, other friends walk away, she remain sitting and listening for a while.
a face keeps haunting in my mind - the last person interacts with me today. it’s rare to meet someone both be the listener and observer (photographer). after reviewing the photos they takes for me, especially some last shots, i feel this person truly reads this work.
the longer i pause reading, the more i can feel my voice is surfacing from the surroundings. throwing a stone on the river.
i feel a strong vibration and shaking underneath today. it might be others sound works. i imagine it’s an earthquake. shall i run? i wonder why don’t i feel the same intensity on previous days.
more observers taking pictures for me today.
i read much more slowly. i enjoy the slow reading.
i remember yesterday an old man with a walking stick sitting on the other side of the space. it seems like he is watching at me from a far distance. or it might just be my illusion.
i gradually understand what kind of work needs ‘close reading’.
[around 5pm]
a young man with glasses and blonde hair comes. i look up and smile at them a bit. the facial expression does not respond too much, simply stare at me. they listened for a while, walking towards the chair, one foot slightly step on the bottom of the chair. are they trying to sit? i feel being provoked, for the first time during these days, though subtlety. it activates me. they move to the material table then, reading the agreements, eventually stopping at the camera table. i am peaking their action. they are reading the agenda, carefully. most observers would roughly read it or skip this part, just turn on the camera and point it at me. they sign the paper and begin to take pictures for me. instead of moving nearby the small table, they directly walk towards the listening chair and sit down. it seems like the camera gives their courage to sit down. (a weapon?) they are taking frontal shots of me reading. soon, they stand up and walk around, shooting photos from different angles. one moment, they put off their bag at the material table, then kneel on the floor, shooting in a low angle shot. as i am writing, it reminds me of the poster for the film ‘blow-up’, though within a different/opposite position. i feel an impulse to look up at them, seeing directly and firmly to the lens - that black tiny circle. the impulse is so strong that almost tears apart my rationality. i am saying: i am looking back at you when you putting this lens on me, show me your eyes.
sometimes, they stand behind close to me, reading what i am reading. then i see them walking far away, almost to the opposite of my spot in this area, holding up the camera, perhaps they are trying to take a wide-view shot. then, they come back to my reading table and sit down again. still hold the camera, but devote more to the listening than shooting. when i switch my reading gestures, they will turn on the camera again. at some point, they stand up, still watching me reading. i pause for quite a while, my body keep still, staring at the texts without looking up at them. ‘hello?’ they say this to me. i look up and smile, saying ‘how are you?’ ‘good’ then we stare at each other in silence. i gradually feel my face twitches slightly. do i want to cry? why? i bet they detect this twitching. so i continue reading. the monitor comes, asking us to leave. i want to finish the current page, so i keeping reading for a while. they stay. as i finish it, re-arrange the hemp rope, they return my camera. we are both wrapping up our stuffs. i put on my shoes and stand up. ‘have a good day’ they say to me and walk away.
during the whole time, their facial expression remain unchanged. i feel tension and energy growing through every eye contact we make.
sometimes, they stand behind close to me, reading what i am reading. then i see them walking far away, almost to the opposite of my spot in this area, holding up the camera, perhaps they are trying to take a wide-view shot. then, they come back to my reading table and sit down again. still hold the camera, but devote more to the listening than shooting. when i switch my reading gestures, they will turn on the camera again. at some point, they stand up, still watching me reading. i pause for quite a while, my body keep still, staring at the texts without looking up at them. ‘hello?’ they say this to me. i look up and smile, saying ‘how are you?’ ‘good’ then we stare at each other in silence. i gradually feel my face twitches slightly. do i want to cry? why? i bet they detect this twitching. so i continue reading. the monitor comes, asking us to leave. i want to finish the current page, so i keeping reading for a while. they stay. as i finish it, re-arrange the hemp rope, they return my camera. we are both wrapping up our stuffs. i put on my shoes and stand up. ‘have a good day’ they say to me and walk away.
during the whole time, their facial expression remain unchanged. i feel tension and energy growing through every eye contact we make.
[around 4pm]
leaning closer to the table and using finger to point the lines while reading - i feel more intimacy with my voice. it could be one way to engage with the time only when nobody shows up.
[around 3pm]
three young friends come. they are gathering, talking around the camera table. almost every of them sign the paper and take a shot. one of them sits in front of me, others take a picture of this moment. i look up, she wears a nose ring. later, other friends walk away, she remain sitting and listening for a while.
[around 2pm]
two groups of elderly women are talking close to me. loudly, obviously. i keep the same volume. some have been reading my texts, agreements patiently before. a woman in light-green coat stands on my right, seeing me pointing out each line and listening. another woman with grey hair stands next to my label for a while, watching and listening to me, both hands are in her pants pocket. i look up while she is smiling warmly.
Annie comes back again. i thought she had left.
a young couple come. they both sign the camera paper and take pictures for me.
a young man comes. he reads the statement and stands next to the chair. i look up at him, he look back with a patient eye. after listening for a while, he leaves by putting his hand on his chest, saying ‘thank you’.
Annie comes back again. i thought she had left.
a young couple come. they both sign the camera paper and take pictures for me.
a young man comes. he reads the statement and stands next to the chair. i look up at him, he look back with a patient eye. after listening for a while, he leaves by putting his hand on his chest, saying ‘thank you’.
[around 1pm]
Elysia is in a black dress and walking directly to me, smiling. she sits down without hesitation, without reading the statement. she is listening. she will smile back to me when i look up at her. the other time, i have no clear clue about her feelings. she leaves as some of her friends come by.
a formal classmate comes. he reads the statement then walking towards and sitting down. he is listening as i look up at him i can tell. at the same time, Annie comes, she begins to take pictures. he seems not be affected too much by the camera. he leaves, continuing walking around, Annie sits on the chair. sometimes she is shooting, sometimes she is listening.
photo by an observer on 5.26