elsewhere via tiff mich

here are two images i made yesterday.

Hi,
So after weeks have passed without any entries, ive realized what ive always known. I am a bad blogger. I just wanted to thank anyone is reading this (Jessie, Bill, Dan, Chris, Erika, Jeanne, Mamma, and you) and say you are a great person for reading through this undirected, random, sparatic attempt of blogging. Now, im going to attempt to really tell you something and give you an idea of whats really going on in my OCD, spaced out, child-like, sassy princess mind here at elsewhere. Without further a-do, here is what i am doing at Elsewhere, confession style.

"Solemates" Celing Installation
It been a really intense project and process experience. Cleaning old shoes in a haunted room was really messing with my spirit and effected my personality in the beginning of my stay here. It wasnt fun. I found i was less apt to socialize, bc i felt like i had picked the worst project ever, and didnt want to complain about it to the creative, smart, happy, and fun people i just met. But I was really mad at myself for it for a while. I would see Bill and Jess working with this beautiful fabric and stuffed animals or Kurtis planting all these inspiring, little alley plants while I was dealing with stinky, ghost shoe pile that i had chosen for myself.  I felt like people were really enjoying their projects, and was becoming bitter at myself for choosing such a catastrophe. Eventually, I had a creative meltdown (secretly, on a rainy day, in a Greensboro alley) and called friends in afar places for support. They gave it and gave it good. Thank you Chris M. (Hummingbird), Mamma (Cash Cow), Chris Cam (creep-o) for loving someone like me when i am crazy high strung. God, unicorns, trolls, and me all love you unconditionally.  <3

Process wise, It took a while, about 2 weeks to really get it going due to crazy cleans, big events, and ghost shoe anxiety. But finally, i felt so much better. I decided i wasnt going to ditch this project. After all, something in my subconcious was drawn to the shoes and i began to feel like i need to explore why.

I began organizing and moving the shoes out of the epic haunted room...seen here...

  Really, these pictures do not justify the creepiness of this room. do you see the chairs? the middles are falling through. The wallpaper is just peeling so loudy...its screaming. No natural light. And there is this old dresser mirror in there too. I NEVER looked in it, bc i just knew there was a spirit wanting to say hi. So i turned up my music really really loud, made sure i knew all the words, and sang so loudly. I had to keep my mind busy from thinking about strange energies and dirty shoes.

Once i had cleaned them,  one by one, i started really appreciating them as individual objects. Some were so tiny and belonged to domestic princesses, others were large and practical, belonging to a devoted librarian. I found Virgina Wolf's shoes, along with Wanda Jackson's and even a pair Ru Paul might enjoy. I began getting comfortable and playing with them. I animated them...Which i'lll post as soon as i edit it. i tried some on. I threw them around, and made them find other mates than their preconcieved, prescribed, twin ones. Why would you ever want to be  with someone exactly like yourself? How boring and narcissistic. I found they wanted to spend time being paired with opposites, or similars, or no mate at all,  or......as fate would have it.

i decided to build a heart. in making this choice, I was trying gauge all the negativity i had experienced in my project, spirits of the 3rd floor, and other self/relationship/social/community/space inadequacies and make it into something else that made me and (hopefully) others happier people at least for 5 seconds.

seeing this shape made me feel good. Especially, working so big, and in such a big space. To be candid, i was concerned about the implications of making such a loaded symbol in such a anti-traditional-symbol place. You know? At first i was like, oh great, let me just tie my carebear feel-good heart into John Cage and Satie and Dadaism,etc, But after cleaning hundreds of shoes and being intellectually/creatively counter productive, I said fuck it. im doing what i want, what makes me feel something other than loneliness, what would makes sense in such a sterile place. what i think others might get a warm, gooey feeling from along with of a visual intellectual synapse firework party.

It was always going on the 2nd floor celing....

So i started thinking about color.

I have discovered something. Elsewhere, as a visual community, as developed a communicative language in color coding objects to achieve organization, aesthetic, and appeal. It is a very human way of arranging the way we acces information. Personally, i find it fascinating how an instinctual color coding phenomenon has inhabited Elsewhere as form of visually breathing. But, im a rebel, by heart and choice, so i coudnt do color code order. I decided to try going with tone, which ties more in with my concept.  Examples of Color Coding below. Also see Guerra De La Paz  piece.

Here is my near final color coordination for my Soles.

Now i began to get the outline, which took one full day of working.

I am hanging the shoes with fishing line and a staple gun. Its a super ocd-freak process, but it leaves the shoes looking like they are floating. nad leaves me covered in plaster/celing poop.

the ribbons come from pairs of shoes the Sylvia had tied together. The ribbon hanging is the same ribbon she used to attach the shoe its rightful match from falling into chaotic disarray.  They create a nice effect. i also wanted depth in the center. I think i have achieved it, but these photos dont really show it. Ill post when i am finished.

Now, i have run out of shoes and have to clean more, document, and finish hanging. It will take another week. I probably hang about 40-50 shoes a day. Its very slow work. Here are some details of what it looks like inside.

i am also keeping a heart quote log (i.e. what people say when they see it or pass by), bc i am getting really great feedback. Here are a few that especially liked....
"I like your heart" Jeanne Stern
"Let me just walk into your heart" Dan White
"You've got quite a beautiful heart here" Kaylan
"Its an interesting process bc it requires so many steps" me

All these comments continue to amuse me in the sweetest way.  i will write my full synopsis of my concept and process when i am finished. Until then....

Other things

Community Project.
I am documenting the shoes. Here are some examples.

the past 2 weeks here at Elsewhere have gone by incredibly fast. There has been a John Cage/Satie event, a charitable party, project time, new friends, new ideas, and many, many cups of coffee. Image wise, i will catch up a bit with my photo essay of Elsewhere...

For the Big party, a group of us went to prep the "hookers of elsewhere" to look a bit more dapper for the 3 story grand ball last week. I took some portraits of them.

Day 3 pictures selected by a "Sisters Are Forever" coffee cup

I'm still tinkering around with the anarchist ghost room. Im not sure how i feel about sleeping with a bunch of anarchist ghosts when i used to work for the government. Although, and somewhat ironically...i was an anarchist once too, so maybe the ghosts will be sympathetic to that when hanging about my Obama voter bedside?

But until i figure that out for sure, im going to redecorate. So the above picture is a  "before"  redecoration.

Furthermore, on the suggestion of a friend of mine (www.chriscameron.org) im going to take a picture each day. But there's more..Upon being submerged in Cagean thought for the past 16 hours (Vexations), i have decided that i will actually take a random number of pictures a day based on the first number i come in contact with upon awaking. Then for the selection, i will have an elsewhereian choose from my daily photos based on their lucky number. If there are not enough photos to suffice the lucky number, there will be repetition. This may sound confusing, but i think i will get the hang of it. 

 random photos selected by an anarchist ghost from day 1

 

Its Day 2. My first post. My first public broadcast with Elsewhere. And i couldn't be happier.

Elsewhere is one of those remarkable things in life that transcend words. No language can do its justice, no picture can capture its vastness, but to actually be here, smelling the old books, hearing the footsteps overhead, and meeting the people that make its heart beat is like a waking dream. There are individual stories lurking in Wrangler Jean fabric, rocking horses, baby doll tents, bird cut-outs, budding herbs, gutted instruments, flowered teapots, vintage suitcases, and most noticeably, the good people that make this all possible. I can't really explain it to you in one paragraph, you have to see it and experience it for yourself. And thats where this blog comes in, in the hopes of somehow bringing you closer to me, and i closer to you though Elsewhere and its euphoric friendly ghosts.

so, please stay tuned...