Weekend notes
I'm behind on blog posts. I have notes from my summer holiday that I haven't posted yet, but in the meantime, here is a small update.
Last night I met Be and went to an art exhibition with a live band from Germany (really good!) followed by a live dj, who had invited me. The techno was ok, for Milan, but it was a bit too banging for 10pm. Props for using vinyl, though.
We left as Be had to get up early to hike, and I met Leo. We planned to see some electronic music but couldn't find any. We scoured the intertubes (www.zero.com.it) and found a place out near MY place, which is incredible, really, as I live in what I like to consider the Upway or Boronia of Milan.
I hurried from the bar (Zoom, I think?) to the station just on time to realise I had missed the last train. Leo, weighing in at 45 kilograms, dinked me in a heroic effort right across Milan. It's about 10 kilometres across.
I prepared to meet my maker as we meandered violently across town, but we made it to Machicini, where I scrambled onto the night bus for the remaining two stops, meeting Leo at Affori centro. From there we walked until we found this middle-of-nowhere club.
The DJ's name was Maayan Nidam and she played some pretty nice tech house (also on vinyl). I'm not sure when the last time that I have heard any tech house was. Melbourne is so obsessed with it. We danced until about 3am then walked to my house, which was a twenty minute walk. YES, I LIVE 20 MINUTES FROM A TECH HOUSE CLUB (in the middle of nowhere) THAT I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT. And, I am moving out in two weeks because my landlord and his family are creepy and crazy.
Today I took a Joni day and went into Milan. I stopped at Duomo and almost entered the gothic monolith, however I was stopped by guards as my skirt was too short (that's a thing in Italy). I walked past the beautiful carvings of practically naked men, scornful at the hypocrisy, and noticed a large sign on Novecento, one of the modern and contemporary art museums. There I've seen artists like Piero Manzoni (artist's shit) and Fontana (spatial concept). Neither of these moved me significantly, although I like the concepts. Today, however, the poster read Kliens. Could it be? My new love has comes to visit me?
International Kilen Blue is basically the art equivalent of my PhD topic. Once, all artists were also alchemists but in modern times the availability and quality control of paints and pigments have changed.
I discovered IKB during an interior design workshop and I knew from that very first moment that it was love. My obsession uncovered many photos on the internet, but like any internet relationship, you need to meet in person to experience the full trip. It's the first time for me, falling in love over the internet. You cannot know true love with only a screen.
...
As the exhibition hadn’t opened yet, I moved on. I wasn't lining up for the Van Gogh exhibition and we actually had sun here today, so I hoped on the metro headed towards Porta Venezia, where I ate some cheap and bland yet gluten and onion free Indian food.
I then ventured to Giardini Publici Indro Montanelli. I found myself surprised that I haven't properly explored this park. I was feeling terribly romantic and was blown away by the beauty of everything. I was overcome with happiness and every step was a blessing. I stopped to look at trees, to take photos, to text and just to enjoy. I think I'm beginning to love autumn. I stumbled across the modern art museum, another place I have not yet visited. I must see this, and also The Last Supper before I leave.
I did have the chance to see Aisthesis by James Turrell last week. The exhibition has run for a year and it finishes in a a few weeks. I really REALLY loved it. I had a chance to apply all I had learnt in my course. Ale and I began in in the Ganzfeld room. I can’t really describe the experience, but, I'll try.
We walked into a room where we were asked to wait. It had stairs leading to a green panel on the wall. Wait... that isn't a panel. That's a room! The ganzfeld is in there!
We had to leave everything including shoes outside and entered the mesmerising, colour changing chamber. At first it was quite disorientating. The guide warned us to stay behind as we could fall. I could not distinguish the walls or see the edge of the platform at all when we first walked in.
Then appeared a fake electric pastel blue wall, another illusion, presumably created by a combination of the habituation of my eyes and the changing lights. I turned to see where we had entered and it now appeared there was no exit, just a black panel on the wall.
This "panel" was in fact a very large rectangular hole - it was beyond me how powerful this visual effect was. The lights would change and the wall illusion disappeared into nothingness and then reappeared as a different colour, perhaps pink.
A light situated above and around the entrance produced a strobing effect at intermittent periods, which changed the colours of the interior chamber walls and the wall outside of the chamber (which appeared to be a panel). This too was an illusion which I think was produced in the opponent neurons, because often the internal and external colours were opposing colours.
The entire colour show is one hour in its entirety, however we were only allowed 5 minutes due to the habituation of the eyes. Disappointed at that, we left to check out the rest of the exhibition.
In note form: There were inny and outie triangles which changed as you moved passed them, 3d cubes created with nothing other than white illumination of a wall and corner, and neon fluorescent grids that do all kinds of weird things to your eyesight when you stare at them, other neon tubes created illusions of depth, or created warping of the dimesions of the room. There was also some interesting video interviews of the artists.
By combining art, technology, light and perceptual science, James Turrell has become my new favourite artist. Dali needn’t worry, I'm poly.
Perhaps this experience has changed my perception slightly. As I walked around today I felt touched by all the colours and lights I've seen. My course has opened my eyes to the world in a whole new way. Driving through Varese I was fixated on the colour combinations used on the facades.
I have become am the sort of person that notices architecture, light and shop fittings. I comment on the colours of designer clothing and finishes in kitchens. Something has changed in me.
Back to the present, I hopped on another metro to Porta Garibaldi to view the apartment I am considering for my next move. It was so perfect, which is a shame, as I think I am leaving Milan for my internship. It's right next to the Navigli, the hip part of town. Here is a photograph I took on the way.
These canals were built by Leonardo da Vinci in part for the transport of marble to build the Duomo
I wandered more and contemplated. I expected a year here and I will have less. There is so much I have not done in a city that doesn't have so much. I felt like a tourist today, full of wonder, instead of just a person living and going about my daily business. I am going to miss this place a lot, and that's without even considering love.
There´s the moon asking to stay
Long enough for the clouds to fly me away
Well it´s my time coming, I´m not afraid to die
My fading voice sings of love, but she cries to the clicking of time,
Oh, time. Wait in the fire...