home nature museum

+ the woodchuck/groundhog that didn’t make the cut (who is he, why did I light it so harshly, etc.)

:)

notable budapest pigeon deaths, may-june 2015

back from Budapest & processing all I collected and talked about while in residency with Igor Metropol for 2 months. already miss these sad plants and this ubiquitous green...

museum of hungarian agriculture, hunting exhibition

from Last Cigar at the Grey Arabian, Gyula Krúdy, 1927

My residency here is with the arts organization Igor Metropol, which is in a warehouse building in the Kelenföld area of Buda, not far from the power plant I visited to see the Eye Resonator. I ran into artist Shandor Hassan, who told me about Igor Metropol in the first place. Shandor showed me around the building complex where Igor lives. There is FONO, a dance/culture center; Artús, a theater/bar/gallery; and Shandor's own installation space. His work is an ongoing investigation of several rooms of the warehouse over the course of the month of May. Using materials salvaged from the rooms and the surrounding urban wilds, with a few basic hardware store items (white chalk), Shandor is exploring ideas of scale, of architecture, of space. It looks amazing so far, and each day brings new aspects to the installation.

The opportunity to experience "dazzling art deco dome of the Kelenföld Power Plant's Control room, a masterpiece by the Hungarian architect Virgil Borbiró" intrigued almost as much as considering what an eye resonator might be. The approach involved walking through the old power plant grounds, seeking OFF signs (which I’d quickly realize is part of the appeal of most OFF events- a hunt for the sign indicating you’re in the right place and about to see something intriguing), making my way through a hallway of power plant history, selected archival materials on architecture, and an array of beanbags (a stop I was supposed to make before entering the Eye Resonator; I might have found the three scripted options for the experience you could choose to have with the ER useful beforehand, however I didn’t listen until afterwards-- nice for reflection, anyway). Then, up the stairs to an incredible room. All pastel green, an oval of dials and switches with a patterned glass roof. The assortment of people in the room were as busy documenting the space as I was, and in due time we each took our turn  with the Eye Resonator. As directed by an instructional panel, I assumed my position on a marked space on the flood. The brass dome of the Eye Resonator descended over me, and I positioned my head properly- so as not to activate red LEDs in my peripheral vision. Then, it began. What it was...I moved my eyes across the screen in front of me, and a swarm of red seagull-like shapes seemed to follow my gaze. I darted my eyes around a bit, and the flock...sort of followed. I relaxed into it and just slowly moved my gaze, thinking some thoughts about where I was and what control means. Then, with a tap on the shoulder my turn was over. I stayed in the room for a while longer, taking more photos and watching others in the Eye Resonator. Lack of reaction abounded. The overwhelming feeling was awe at the room itself, of thorough inspection and documentation, of polite and precise entrance into the resonator but complete satisfaction with the simple act of being in the space. The room had control over us; it resonated in the evocative, agreeable way.

11. Keep developing and building your collections and displays into a museum that becomes more and more attractive, interesting and complete. You will find many ideas for doing this throughout this book. Your first book will naturally not be as good as what you do later, so replace your early work with better when you can.