Autoren Archiv

First steps

3. 10. 2010 // // Kategorie Randnotizen 2010

The first excursions with our Beastie costume attracted much attention. Shopkeepers, pedestrians, dog walkers, policemen, lawyers, residents, delivery drivers and hairdressers of all ages stopped, approached, took photographs on their phones, followed and asked questions. We would eventually get around to telling them it was a performance for children and most were satisfied with this explanation, showing some relief and then continuing about their business. We wondered what other activity we could publicly engage in which, when asked, we could appease with the answer “It’s a piece of theatre for children.”

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In the park our presence attracted the attention of four young men. As they approached us I prepared my riposte.

“What’s this? Is it freemason shit?”

“Pardon?”

“This freemason is  isn’t it? You’re freemasons?”

I looked back at our group gathered around the Beastie. I explained to the young men that I wasn’t a freemason, but couldn’t vouch for any of the others in the group.

“It’s a piece of theatre for children” I said.

“Oh, theatre for children. Yeah, this is theatre for children” the young man said.

Toast

30. 9. 2010 // // Kategorie Randnotizen 2010

At the restaurant we all watched a small insect navigating the creases and folds in the tablecloth like a lunar surface, stopping to punt crumbs from the meal.

“What’s it called?”

“I don’t know… but you know these bugs, when they land on you or your food, it leaves a smell of burnt something.”

We wanted to find out if this was true and so delicately stroked its back with a scrunched up napkin; we sniffed the napkin and it smelt of toast.

“Hi stinky bug!”

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Two Platforms

9. 9. 2010 // // Kategorie Randnotizen 2010

London’s King’s X (‘King’s Cross’) Station has a new platform – Platform 0 (‘Platform Zero’).

Reading from a poster in the station: Presently it will be used to take services as work is carried out in the station and other platforms are temporarily closed. Acting a bit like a margin; allowing the overflow, and protecting the level of service. In the future, it will increase the capacity at King’s Cross; helping the revamped station to play a key role in Olympic journeys in 2012, local regeneration, and overall passenger experience.

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Waiting for an underground service at Barbican Station i spoke to a member of the station staff about the abandoned platforms 3 & 4 that used to serve the National Rail trains from King’s X Station to East Anglia. Looking at the 1 metre tall weeds and wild plants that now grow between the lines and from the roof, the woman said “I don’t know what they’re going to do with it, nothing has come through for years, it’s turning into a bit of a garden – better than all the concrete.”

Simple transitions 2

23. 7. 2010 // // Kategorie Randnotizen 2010

We met in the empty Blue Bar at the Royal Festival Hall. Mark took a large sponge foot with a Plastazote horn out of a plastic bag and put it on the table.

Gary quickly slipped off one trainer and pulled on the foot, stood up and walked around – the others noticed a distinct difference in his gait.

Gary asked Mark when the other foot would be ready.

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