Wednesday 10th April 2013 - ART RESCUE ME FROM TEMPTATION

Day 3 is media day, whatever that means. I assume for those invited it's a free lunch. My foot is still very tender but I am too eager to think about it too much. I've decided to stop training for San Francisco half marathon for April and train throughout May into June. Looking forward to meeting another veteran today who has been unable to join us due to prior commitments . He served very recently in Afghanistan.

See you on the other side.

"It's show time folks."

Arrived onsite and found a subdued group of performers and staff. I suppose there's a feeling of the work has been done and now the show must go on. 

Just completed my first 30-minute shift for the media. Not sure what ‘media’ is this day. I suppose if you have a Twitter account you could consider yourself part of the media. I stood alone for the first 15 minutes until the swarming junket poured into the room. Apparently there are only supposed to be twenty people in the room at one time. The room is small and even with ten people it feels like we’re all in a pair of old tight jeans.

It’s difficult to hear what people are saying. Though I have heard a number of visitors stifle snorty sniggers. Is it the sudden confrontation? Perhaps it’s the ambiguity of space in conflict with social conditioning? Could be? 13 ROOMS has the makings of a fantastic Bachelor of Arts Honours Thesis.

The half hour periods seem to be improving, however, the urge to fiddle, scratch, move and fart have to be toughed out.  I’m sitting with my feet up watching the clock tick down to my next shift in 15 minutes.

Remember tomorrow Thursday the 11^th April 2013 is opening day and the 13 ROOMS project is free. Down on Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay. There are a number of ways to get here, from Wynard, George Street exit, you can take the 431 or 433 bus down to Walsh Bay through the Rocks. Otherwise enjoy a walk through the Rocks, veer left in a westerly direction where you will eventually get an awesome view of the bridge’s underbelly. Continue around the circle road and there it is.

Selfie: me and my corner in art history

The Press-Gang-Hoods are thinning out and heading to the bar (one would assume). The art world I deduce from my extremely limited experience is according to dictionary terminology is a shit hot (vulgar slang) gig if you can get it.

 Outside Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay (south west Bridge)

INVIGILATOR

Until this week I had never heard of the word invigilator I mean who has? And that’s a rhetorical question! Just finished another foot throbbing corner space shift. Had one visitor who stayed for the entire shift, which makes standing still worse. When there are free moments I will casually move my feet, shoulders and adjust my perspective (I’ll get back to invigilator in a second) because whilst I am in art groove mode (AGM) Santiago Sierra wants his warm props to be silent and still. So in this last shift the door opens and my visitor walks back and forth (remember I face the corner) and then suddenly the visitor stops and from what I could gather sits down. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a transcendental yoga stand-off. Finally ‘Steve’ relieves me (Afghanistan Veteran) and I turn to eyeball the visitor who turns out to be an invigilator. 

Jodie and Celia Invigilators

If I knew the invigilator was ‘staff’’ I would have relaxed and stretched out. Invigilators are gallery ‘protectors’ or a Deputy sheriff of the Arts. Consider the phrase, ‘mind the gap’ or once I was feeling up a Giacometti at the MCA when a voice boomed from a hidden corner, ‘Hands of the rock!’ Now that's an INVIGILATOR

Where's this?

Great day. Tough day. Feet tired and throbbing. I had some excellent exchanges with visitors (I don’t interact but they interact with me). Tomorrow is opening day and the buzz in the building is about to burst.

Watch out Warhol's about

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