Tag Archives: overground

ab in Anatum’s FINAL post

Posted on by Antonin Brinda

FINAL

In my two week residency I achieved what I wanted to achieve – I did intensive ten days (or nine better to say, because one day I took a break) research in an Anatum’s Abode and the city of London. My interest in the research was to feel, to understand, to explore specific site (so we might call it „site-specific research“) – the London megalopolis. Important part of that work was also one day (18 hours) durational performance/observation in the London’s Tube/Overground/DLR system.

I prepared a workshop which unfortunately didn’t happen because of the lack of participants but was replaced by its variation done in two people next day.

I participated on two collective events in Anatum’s and in that occasions I executed two performance pieces. Performances were adapted for the specifities of the evenings itself – first one spoke about the history and present of the Anatum’s Abode, second concentrated on the extension of human communication possibilities.

And finally I presented a lecture „Sexuality in dystopian movies.“ The way it happened, the number of pleased listeners, consequential discussion and created atmosphere was maybe the biggest surprise and biggest satisfaction in terms of my residency.

Below you find some photos with which I am saying goodbye. I would like to warmly thank for the possibility given to me and highly recommend the residency for any other possible applicants.

Thank you.

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ab in Anatum’s day 10 & 11

Posted on by Antonin Brinda

DAY 10

That day I was recovering from the previous whole day Tube experience and preparing afternoons workshop. Unfortunately (and actually quite unsurprisingly as well) no participants appeared.

It was understandable for me because I was offering a four hours workshop in a Sunday afternoon when most of the people have time but on the other hand they also want to rest. When writing a proposal for the event I did my best and was ready to present quite interesting experience, I think. On the other hand I don’t know almost anyone in London so maybe the invitation didn’t came to the right people.
But what can one do, right? 🙂

Below you can see that I was ready – empty space as well as the sweets and tea were anticipating people impatiently.

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DAY 11

The compensation came another day. Lee and I decided not to forget the Tube research so easily. We entered the Bank station an for approximately an hour we were practising systema, Russian martial art technique in which Lee is skilled a bit and is also able to hand over that knowledge (thank you Lee!).

So we were „punching“ each other, liying on each other, rolling on the ground and so on. One of the goals of my potential workshop was achieved – the Tube became ours playground.

People in the Tube are encouraged to „report anything unusual“ but apparently what we did was still quite usual because nobody – even the Tube employees – was interested in what we do.

By this 11th day I finished the most important and biggest part of my work in Anatum’s Abode. In the 11 days I was exploring possible approaches of how to understand the London megalopolis, I was taking pictures and writing notes about that research. I planned the workshop as one of the results of the work but it is not so importnat that the workshop didn’t happen. The Anatum’s Abode gave me unique, long enough possibility to work on the theme very close to me. I don’t regret that there is no final performance or exhibition (I presented continuously my research on the web and I aloso did one performance, had a lecture (see my next post) and am going to have another performance in Thursday so I deffinitely leave some traces behind in Anatum’s).

It is difficult to sum up what I realized when exploring the Anatum’s Abode in the first days and later on when walking, cycling, busing and tubing the City. I would say that it is important to use all of the differnet approaches how to get familiar with the city. Only one is deffinitely not enough because than you’re missing something.
But the most important thing I found is that observing a city is not enough. Minimally as much important if not more is to meet a people living there. Without a people any city would be – partially – just empty, scary, boring space.

I hope this research of mine will continue in my master program in theatre I’m about to begin next year in the Theatre Faculty of AMU, Prague, Czech Republic. It is nice to know that there is already some work done from which I can build my next research.

report anything

ab in Anatum’s day 9 – part I

Posted on by Antonin Brinda

DAY 9 – part I

I was searching for some other people who could possibly join me in my Tube odyssey but I didn’t succeed. There was one person considering participation and I am glad even for that.
So it was just up to me – what a difference when I compare Saturday exploration with my previous experiment in Prague based on the same principles. I see two major differencies: fistly in Prague we were four and in London just me alone, secondly in Prague there are just three metro lines (A, B, C) so the systém is quite small and most of the stations are literally under the ground. In London it is just 45%, see) and that system is naturally much bigger.
So this research was more open but also more lonely.

I entered the System around 5.30 am at Limehouse DLR station and get out around 11.30 pm on the same place.
I had to leave the System two times – once in a Heathrow 1,2,3 station, second in a Hammersmith. In Heathrow in was because of a tricky escalator – when it got me up there was no other way how to continue than to leave the System. Because of that I had to get out in some other station in Zone 1 or 2 to avoid a fee for being in the System for two long – so I did in Hammersmith.
I should explain what kind of ticket I bought. It was 7 day Travelcard for Zones 1 & 2 which cost me £32.10.
I suppose it might be done completely without any payment but in a few situations I needed it (like when transfering in some stations – for instance in Bank when getting into the Waterloo & City line or in Shadwell when transfering between the DLR and the Overground). Also I wanted to feel secure for eventuall control – obviously more time you spend in the System bigger chance is to meet a controller. I was controlled few days ago and saw controller in a Tube other day so I rather wanted to concentrate more on the research and not on the checking if there is any controller. Anyway this day I didn’t see a single one.

In the morning I knew exactly where to go. The Tubes/Overgrounds/DLRs (I decided not to use buses, trams, National Rail or other services) outermost station – in terms of the Zones – is a Watford Junction. At the moment its location is marked as a „Zone W“ and special fares applies there. So I had to go there. Not surprisingly nothing special happened there, the station looked like many others and it didn’t even look so peripheral as some other stations (like nearby Chesham or Amersham for example).
Most of the time I spent by travelling from one endstation to another one, time to time I resigned to any planning and was just getting on and off randomly.

Due to the weekend closures I didn’t have possibility to visit east parts of Hammersmith & City respectively District lines and such stations as Barking or Upminster remained big unknown. Bigger problem were closures in a different parts of the Overground so I didn’t use that a lot. Beacuse of that I also couldn’t reach Haggerston station where happening of the SITE/SPACE group was tooking place. It was quite unfortunate – work of the group is concentrated on doing actions in a public spaces and there deffinitely is some relation to my work. Might be great to become part of a happening during the Tube research but it probably was as it should be.

As I was already pointing out in the previous post staying in the Tube creates quite unique feeling of de-attaching from oneself and entering into some hypnotic, hallucinatory reality. Similar situations are established when having a long flight, long bus ride and so on. The whole world in a Tube is a simulacrum – seems to be normal, usual, but it certainly is not. The Tube has for me a metonymical connection with the city or more specifically – the Tube is the tip of an iceberg for the city. The way how people are structured to the specific rows and patterns and lead through the artificialy made pathways/trains, omnipresent camera surveillance and attack of commercials, lack of the social contact between the citizens, feelings of lostness and so on are more then symptomatic for the phenomenon of megalopolis. And all this we can read in the Tube way much better than in a city as a whole. Because there is nothing else what to look at.

On the other hand it also might serve as some kind of base. When I got out in Heathrow and Hammersmith my possible freedom shocked me and I was happy that I might come back to the Tube world, where everything is understandable, linked, secure.

I tried to perform some action but I was alone and exhausted so I improvized for a while in one station and than didn’t continue with that activity.

After the whole day I was really tired and felt quite lonely as well. During the day I spoke just with two persons and it was just because I was buying food from them.

An underground is a mirror of the society, of the city overhead and because it is mirror you don’t have a chance to see a „real image“ (which you don’t see in the city anyway) but in a way it might bring more truth than observing the real buildings, sights, attractions, parks, shops… Underground is under the pavement, under the city skin and beause of that one can sees all the dirt hidden, all entrails of the megalopolis.

ab in Anatum’s day 6 & 7

Posted on by Antonin Brinda

Before I start my description of the following researche I would like to add one more thing about cycling research: once you have a bike your body is not just improved but it also brings some complications.
This link to the one famous italian movie should explain what I mean.

DAY 6

This day I decided to use only buses (which seems quite logical after walking and cycling).

In terms of paying I decided to use capping. So instead of paying regular £1.50 for each bus I paid £4.40 for 10 buses which I took. Fair enough.

The best combination of words which describe exploration by buses might be „city as a backround for thoughts“.
It is much more comfortable than going by walk or by bike – you just sit inside of the machine. Then you don’t have to create any additional activity – you just sit and travel towards your chosen destination. No private zones and no unexpected obstacles. No wrong paths – and if any appears you might simply change to some other bus.

Once you’re sitting (not walking, not running – that is important!) in comfortable position there is a time for your thoughts, for you. When it is cold outside, temperature inside of the bus is better either. Of course you’re missing all the specific smells, all the discomfort – bad weather, crazy drivers and so on.
On the other hand you become part of some kind of a different closed intimate situation. I was observing calmly the city passing around as well as the behavior of people inside of the vehicle. What a wonderful feeling it was to smell some nuts/flowers and than realize that there were two girls sitting next to me… and they were producing that specific smell. What a situation! Inhaling someone’s parfume and sweat sitting just few centimeters from the person, but still being complete stranger. Of course that experience might be completely opposite – and actually in few situations it also was. For instance where there was a guy arguing via phone with his girlfriend (or?) and was acting very rude. There were just two of us inside so I shared someone’s private anger without chance of escaping (of course I had a possibility – to get off before the destination I was heading for which I obviously didn’t want to).

When speaking about method I used: Firstly I just went somewhere randomly, after few rides I realized that I might make a circle – to go „over the overground“. With that approach I succeeded more less (check my map!). After 9 hours and 10 buses I got back to my first destination – Limehouse bus station.
I also experimentated with using LSD before the ride but unfortunately the liquid already evaporated from the paper so the dose was very weak and I didn’t enjoy the city from much a different perspective. But for sure I would like to repeat using drugs when exploring the city – I still do believe in drugs, in psychedelics especially. I think it might be very helpful in many ways for a person. Could help with understanding/exploring of some space for instance – like a city space.
Anyway LSD experiment should be repeated but bus experiment worked very well! For quite a little money it is possible to see quite a lot, to get inspired by different atmospheres (which of course you feel just -literally-from behind a glass) which creates differents ideas. I realized that to describe such a city as London is on the edge of impossibility. But also I found that maybe the goal shouldn’t be to analyze, to understand, to get a precise message but maybe to share different thoughts which city brings – in the same way as bus passenger who enjoys his city-movie is having it.

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DAY 7
I share the same idea as God whom (respectively his fans) I’d like to qoute now: „By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.“
Following the God’s approach I went today through mime exercises in the morning, visited two galleries and with Sirus prepared and enjoyed exceptional device of Anatum’s – REAL SQUATT SAUNA.
Thank you God for showing me the way.