Day Three Findings

Today it was 9 degrees out, the coldest day so far.   It was sunny and still out so it didn't feel as bad as it could have.   It actually was a beautiful walk.   The crisp air felt good; I felt alive!    

I found a bunch of flare wires, six lead wheel weights, a couple of hubcap rings, a Ford hubcap, some assorted black rubber objects, some shiny objects to add to my collection, a bent up metal muffler shield? a metal pin, a five sided wire object, a sunglass lens, a thin copper bar, a cool green stemmed wire flower like object, some more Botanica cards including a nice big one with Sra. Esperanza on the front, a bracelet with fake gems, and a brown plastic hair beret thing.   Took a photograph of a dead red teddy bear lying along the road as well.  

A little background on Sra. Esperanza curtesy of Wikipedia. 

"Bianchini was the mother of seven children and grandmother of 20 children.[4]

Believers claim that, while at one point Maria Esperanza considered becoming a nun, it was revealed to her in a vision on October 3, 1954 that her calling was to the married life,[2] It is said that in this vision of St. John Bosco, the saint told her she would first encounter her spouse on November 1, 1955, which she reportedly did.[2] She was particularly devoted to St Thérèse of Lisieux – the “Little Flower”. Believers hold that, from her youth, she lived a life of virtue and fidelity to God and received the gifts of supernatural knowledge, healing, visions, discernment of spirits, locution, ecstasy, levitation, the odor of sanctity, the stigmata, and the ability to read the hearts of others.[5]Witnesses claim to have seen her levitating during mass and engaging in bilocation.[6] Her legend also recounts that Maria received the spiritual direction and the mantle ofSaint Padre Pio,[2] and received in the presence of her husband a bilocated visitation from the saint the day before he died.[7]

In 1979 she created the Betania Foundation, a lay movement designed to evangelize, educate and develop the well-being of society and family life and promote social justice. Her family continues the mission of the foundation.[4] " (Wikipedia) "Her full name is Maria Esperanza de Bianchini (November 22, 1928 - August 7, 2004) also known as Servant of God Maria Esperanza.   She was a Venezuelan mystic born on the feast of Saint Cecilia in Barrancas Venezuela.   The reason she is called "Servant of God" and not saint is because while her Marian Apparitions were approved at the local level by the bishop, they were not by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, which has only approved 12 apparitions to date. " 

Wow, she had seven children and did all this!?   It's hard enough with one let alone seven.   This woman deserves to be a saint.  She's got my vote!  

Photographs and Assemblages from day two

bundled up for the arctic walk

dead starling in front of gas station

five of clubs

found duct tape 

close up of duct tape backing.  interesting pattern

Balloon knot

knife found near scary dude's photo

Scary looking dude

"Spike" found iron railroad spike, found "bolt", found metal block 7"x 6"

brightly colored kids shoe

neon orange construction paint on tree root

Day Two Findings

Brrrrr! It was super cold today, 15 degrees and breezy!  It was great though;I enjoyed the challenge.
Found a bunch of good stuff.   The highlight was a small photograph of a scary looking dude found lying face up on the side of the road.   The weird thing is that only a few steps away I found a black handled knife...hmmm....coincidence?   I found four more lead wheel weights, some more road flare wire's, a five of clubs playing card, a curiously bent railroad spike, a smashed rusty muffler like piece of metal, some great black rubber pieces, a few shiny objects to add to my shiny object collection, a neon orange Seven Eleven pizza box, a tattered yellow and green balloon tied together, a piece of duct tape, a little green and white plastic piece, a San Lazaro (yes,the same guy that Jesus supposedly rose from the dead) Botanica card and the best find of the day, a little shiny metal pendant with an image of Mary that says "Immaculate Heart of Mary Pray For Us"  

Hair, Lead and a Clementine

found hair extension and comb

lead wheel weights

close up view

found clementine in the snow

Day One Findings

Today it was sunny and 30 degrees.   Lots of snow along the edge of the road but still found some good stuff.  found ten lead wheel weights, two metal wire hub cap rings, a couple of bent up road flare wires, an "ancient" looking reed "bow-like" thing with black string attached to it, an interesting shaped piece of cardboard, a piece of bright pink yarn, a big black rubber object with a hole in it, a great "switch" comb that looks like a menacing mouth full of teeth, some little rubber and plastic odds and ends and a bunch of really great advertising cards for a Botanica in Langley Park with various Christian saints and other figures on the front and Spanish text on the back advertising consultations for everything from  impotence to money problems and it's advertised as 100% effective, can't beat that!   These cards are interesting to me, they remind me of my undergrad body of work that touched on Catholicism, rituals and the wishbone.  

Langley Park has a large immigrant population from 120 different countries.   As of the 2010 census, 76% were Latino with a large percentage being Salvadorian.   I did a little research and found that these cards are from the "Santeria (Way of the Saints) religion which is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added."   "The religion is also known as La Regla Lucumi and the Rule of Osha.   Santeria is a syncretic religion that grew out of the slave trade in Cuba."  (www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/santeria/)   

Introduction

I am an MFA graduate student at the University of Maryland.  This project came about in response to occasional walks to and from the University of Maryland, College Park from my home in Takoma Park.    The walk is about 4.5 miles and follows mostly along Rt. 193/University Blvd. through Langley Park, MD.

I noticed that when I walked was when I felt most "alive".   All of my senses seemed to be engaged.   My eyes were constantly processing all the hustle and bustle around me as well as searching for discarded objects along the sidewalks and roads.  I could smell the chicken broiling at Pollo Campero and the acrid scent of exhaust fumes from cars as I walked along the street.   I could feel the concrete sidewalk beneath my feet and the cold air smacking me in the face as the cars and buses, inches from my head, whizzed by on 193.   I could hear the sounds of honking horns, screeching brakes, police cars, fire engines and ambulances, muffled songs coming from the insides of cars idling at stop lights and bits and pieces of conversations from people standing at bus stops as I made my way along University Blvd.  

This project, simply titled "From Here to There", is a more focused continuation of those earlier walks.   I will be walking at least two days a week the entire semester.   My plan is to collect objects I find along the roads and sidewalks for use in or as inspiration for works in my studio.   I will be posting, on this blog, photographs and or video as well as writing about my thoughts and ideas that manifest on my walks.