| Marco and Michelle exit
a shopping mall and enter a street by the flower market. (dials radio 100) Michelle: Hi we have our first camera. Marco: Describe what you see on the screen. Michelle: I think i will wait until i describe it on the radio Marco: But the second time you describe this, it will be different. |
(observes monitor) Michelle: You know it is quite disorienting trying to figure out what that actually is. It looks quite new. Marco: It looks cold, it looks quite icy, almost as cold as it is here. (phone rings, it's Radio 100) describes Space 1 describes Space 2 Marco: You know what i like about this? I found a space here on the street that is similar to the interior space that you were describing. |
(points
to a place on the street) |
Michelle: I was once recording
an elevator space in Berlin, and it was completely still, empty. Suddenly,
after 5-6 minutes two women passed in front of the camera and then exited
quickly through the side door. Marco: I know of a French film where for 50 minutes there's nothing but a still shot of a farmer's field. There's nothing happening and suddenly two birds fly across. Michelle: So you are lulled into a hypnotic state of readiness. |
Michelle: In an essay by
French philosopher Michel de Certeau he talks about the act of walking
as the ultimate act of 'placenessness'. A 'place' implies stasis or stability,
whereas 'space' is an intersection of mobile elements. Marco: And you are one of the mobile elements. (camera is located) Michelle: Okay, let's see where we are. Marco:Let's see what you got. Michelle: We have to get a little closer. Here we go. Marco: Oh, it's a bar. I guess it's the bar across here. |
Michelle: The Cafe Los? Marco: We should check if this is the Cafe Los. (goes to check) No, it is not the Cafe Los. Michelle: That guy looks like my brother. (call is made to Radio 100) describes Space 3 Marco: Is this the cafe? It is not the cafe. That's frustruating. Michelle: It's happened to me before where I see something and then I look straight ahead and see "restaurant", but it's not the restaurant. |
(Marco shakes from the
cold) (a fourth camera is spotted and a call made to Radio 100) describes Space 4 Michelle: Oh, he just entered as if on cue. It's so great! Michelle: Look at that! The slaughter of Christmas trees. (points to a pile of abandoned trees) The trees are thinking "Well you loved me for two weeks, but then you throw me to the curb!" Marco: Wow, the smoke is so beautiful. Michelle: You can tell if it is cold if you see that. |
Marco: Also the sound changes
with the cold air. Marco: Oh, this is a cool street. Here is something to surveil! Michelle: Yes, definitely. Here we have something. We're ready to go. (call Radio 100) describes Space 5 (looks through shop window and watches a man working) Marco: Wow, this looks weird. This looks like a showcase. You can actually walk in and see how these people are working. |
Michelle: Looks like they
are on display. Marco: Woah it's cold!!! Michelle: Here we go. (observes monitor) Marco: That's a restaurant. Shall we call? (call Radio 100) describes Space 6 Michelle: I think it might be in there. I think it's The Grill Room. Marco: But it's a huge place. It must be this thing. Shall we walk in? |
(marco laughs when he sees
a video surveillance sign) Marco: There, you can see for yourself then. Who's there? Michelle: Well, I think that is you. [the restaurant] is not very popular. Marco: It's not even open yet. Oh, it is open. Michelle: Yes, but it just not very popular. They put up a video camera to watch an unpopular place. (we continue walking, but are unable to find another camera before the hour is up) |
| An hour long walk through the Amsterdam streets with
a 2.4 Ghz a/v receiver reveal a succession of hidden spaces surveilled
by wireless cameras. The interior spaces and the surrounding street
views are described at the moment they are discovered by phoning and
breaking into a live radio broadcast. |