transitlab

Joycewalks was great. A small crowd to be sure but still the unexpected occurred. We we navigating the city using a generated map, and text from the Lotus Eaters chapter of Ulysees (Joyce), but the local made an appearance in stories of art projects been and gone, the history of the area. Crossing the city with a different purpose brings a different accenting. In the interest of the piece we started at a pub in Newcastle, and with a pint under our belt proceeded to walk away from the busier parts of the city, through the orchard road tunnel(a graffiti project), past the arts council and it’s smoking room, the telegraph bar(and talk of it), the old wall and down the green jungle of an escarpment to the tyne river. In the process of the tour we passed buildings in all states of disrepair, gentrification and post gentrification. The vodka bar that was open a few years ago, now is just a dusty dancefloor, a sign in fake russian, and an advertisement for £2 shots, the warehouses still being converted, the old cobbled road and smooth granite for the wagon wheels of old.

So it became more than the text, of course it was always going to be, we are all waiting for the serendipity of connection with our environment and our fellows.

Photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sctv/sets/72157605657658132/