Venezia 1

[imomus]

"Com' is that our hosts still have not looked at themselves - to part Paul Davis to which they have lost the suitcases and Momus that were destroyed from the travel - and instead the imperturbable students they are introduces you to the 9,09 antemeridian ones?"



Don't be alarmed by this garbled Google translation of the Teach Me Blog. I haven't really been destroyed by travel, but did feel pretty wrecked last night. I arrived at Marco Polo airport after spending most of the day between flights at Schipol Airport, not in itself an unpleasant place to while away the hours. I jumped into a vaporetto and chugged through the canal system of the world's most lugubriously, sinisterly beautiful city, tried to catch the Biennale show at the Arsenale only to find it closing, caught the wrong vaporetto and ended up on some little cul-de-sac island where the only thing of note was Peggy Guggenheim's villa, took the vaporetto back to Arsenale, failed to get my phonecard working, took ages to find my hotel, a hostel on Giudecca island which didn't seem to have an entrance, started getting a headache and familiar glaucoma symptoms that make me simultaneously super-hungry and completely nauseated by food, finally met up with my host Davide and followed him through a harrowing, fascinating, beautiful and otherworldly warren of narrow alleys in the Santa Margherita district, drinking spritz then trying (and failing) to muster the moral courage required to eat a pizza...



But today has been fantastic. The Teach Me building is buzzing with young creative people, there are design books, exhibitions, and milling workshops, including my own on stories, objects and sound. In the afternoon I led a team of sound hunters through alleys and over canals, and suddenly the spooky solemnity of Venice gave way to human-scaled vitality, amusement, the pure joy of a cafe, recently-graduated students chanting obscene rhymes about "Dottore", the commedia del' Arte doctor and his arse... and serene organ music wafting out of the churches. I'm making a podcast, you'll hear it all...

Comments

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Seems like you've enjoyed all the small things that can come in the way while traveling.

I can't wait for the podcast. What's the podcast subject? Only the soundhunting?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

It has a bit of that, but it's really about Venice itself and the associations it brings. And it's about "the hassle of incompetence", that salutary realisation that travel brings that our habits, which protect us, also prevent us from realising how complicated and amazing life can be. To be lost in the labyrinth called Venice, and even to feel sick while trying to negotiate it, is a weirdly literary experience. You keep expecting to meet Bryan Ferry, W.G. Sebald, Nic Roeg, Luchino Visconti and Thomas Mann around the next corner, and for them to write the end of your story for you. (Hopefully not Roeg or Visconti, though.)

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Ah, feeling you're lost in a labyrinth can still be rewarding. I was a bit lost up Stockholm today when I had to get a card to be able to access "EMS"(Electro-acoustic Music institute of Sweden). But I ended up seeing wonderful boats and interesting stairs and a few second hand shops. I also encountered delayed trains because of a fallen cable.

So, this experience in venice might've inspired you for a new song for the forthcoming album "the shepherd" even?

[saikoutron.livejournal.com]

Funny how this ties in with your recent Wired piece on being lost.

Watch out for that Debord

[mongoltrophies.livejournal.com]

You had better finish your psychogeography on time, or you might lose your membership.

[saikoutron.livejournal.com]

Try some hot tea? Hope you're feeling better, looking forward to the podcast.

[liquid-city.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed your last podcast which I listened to half cut on the District Line heading east one night. It actually managed to sober me up.

[nicepimmelkarl.livejournal.com]

jags are best...sorry u couldnt fry that pigeon for me? shallow please.

[liquid-city.livejournal.com]

Pardon?

[300letters.livejournal.com]

Wow, that shounds much like my experience navigating Venice several years ago. What a tricky place!

[magnakai.livejournal.com]

Isn't Venice beautiful?
Getting lost there is an experience like no other. I highly recommend at least a couple of hours of aimless wandering.

[inparticolare.livejournal.com]

I would like you to write an entry about how using a Macintonish is inherently progressive and liberal. I would like to hear about this in terms of a conservative born-again Christian who uses a macintosh and refuses to acknowlege liberal influences in her life.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Your friend might like Umberto Eco's take (http://www.well.com/user/cynsa/engine.html) on this question.

catholic/Mac

[(Anonymous)]

I knew it! You're just a bunch of left-clickers, you mac users.

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

i think you should eat the pizza.

[cityramica.livejournal.com]

though what does "morage" mean/?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

It's a moral mirage, Mischa.

[anglerfish96.livejournal.com]

Say I seem to remember you had an article similar to this linked in one of your entries (sorry for the cut and paste):

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?SID=mail&articleID=00087E7F-7EC8-130A-8AB283414B7F4945&chanID=sa003

AMERICANS AND CHINESE DIFFER IN THEIR WORLD VIEW--LITERALLY
By Kate Wong

Could you give me a link to it? Thaaaaank you!