Quotidian Paths by JJason Recognition
November 28th, 2007 9:42 PM
Unfortunately, I drastically underestimated the amount of chalk required to draw a solid line between these two places and quickly ran out.
So I put the project on hold until I could get more chalk.
Several hours later, I came back with a big box full of chalk and continued the trail marking.
Completing the path from my class to the campus center put me down another stick of chalk (admittedly a 1/4th used one) but I got good and completed.
I decided to name the trail "the Pine Ridge Trail" based on the complete lack of pines or ridges in between the two places.
Having completed that trail, I made another short one, branching off the Pine Ridge Trail to the library, where I often go to use their WIFI and sit in their comfy chairs.
This one I dubbed the "Green Brush Trail."
By now it was starting to get dark, so I resolved to continue my trail blazing tommorow, especially since the next trail, connecting the Green Brushes trail to the science center, would be the longest one yet.
This path, which I eventually dubbed the "Red Oak Trail" stretched from the Library to the Science Center and took me three complete sticks of chalk to complete.
Although I got other places and take other paths, those three paths are the only ones that I take often enough to justify having a trail - I figure I can bushwhack the rest of the time. Along the way I did a lot of thinking, about distances and about paths and about repetitive behavior. I mean, is it sad that I can only really go to three places on campus with any regularity? That I can summarize my travel patterns in only three trails? Who can say.
This is probably the most public task I've completed for far, since I spent most of it double over shuffling backwards with a piece of chalk. Very conspicuous. On the first day two separate people stopped to ask what I was doing, questions which I dodge with varying success, and numerous people gave me odd looks. Being that public, I was slightly afraid of falling prey to the War on the Unexpected but I figured this being a college campus they'd be more accepting of it.
I made a trail guide out of an existing college map I had, creatively adding the required information.
12 vote(s)
The Vixen
5
Ian Kizu-Blair
5
Charlie Fish
5
Loki
5
Flitworth
5
Stu
5
susy derkins
5
Levitating Potato
5
Herbie Hatman
5
Burn Unit
5
lara black
5
Lincøln
Terms
chalk11 comment(s)
Am I to assume that you were tasking, had chalk on hand, and didn't draw any symbols to help explain what was going on to the likes of Peter?
I'm hoping you simply neglected to photograph them...
Works for me. I like that you had a moment of reflection about "paths and about repetitive behavior".
I say, there is but one reasonable response to War on the Unexpected: take up arms and head for the front.
(Where, in this case, arms consist of chalk, paint, LEDs, breadboards, and costumes, and the front is any convenient public space.)
The Unexpected needs us!
Your photos made me think of how similar many college campuses look (at least in the North East of North America). The first entryway reminded me of one of the buildings at Harvard and some of the paths reminded me of my own Alma Mater.
A thoughtful project on several levels.
Re Harmon: Cause that would've taken forever. And probably used up all my chalk. And I would've been hit by a car. So for all these reasons I decided to limit it to campus trails.
Re Potato: cough. I also put one up near the Pine Ridge trail that I didn't photograph.
Oops. I swear I looked at all the photos before posting :/
Anyway, a vote for fighting the war on the unexpected (and symbol chalking).
St. Paul is awesome! So pretty there. But what's with your image sizing??
Image sizing? I just put the images in there and that's the size that they came out as.
smart thinking using chalk instead of breadcrumbs :)
The funny part is, I saw one of your lines earlier, and you mentioned you were doing this task, but I totally didn't realize it was connected.
Also: why no lines from your apartment to campus?