Jordy: Notes: Observations of a traveller

In the place of the Public Observation of a traveler
Martha Rosler

1. Car
2. Buses
3. Airplanes

Interested in:

- The ephemera and experience of air travel (different in time, space, self organization)
- Movement of bodies across distances
- Effacement of the experience by constructs designed to empty the actual experience of its content makes it the carrier of another sort of experience entirely

Air travel and its associated spaces, structures, and experiences compared with the subject of virtual reality…

- The relations of production, mapping political economy onto the physical, produce space.
- Cyber space is part of the collective imagery of late capitalism
- The history of flight is not separate from the history if history of information management

An embryonic start toward virtual reality was the flight stimulator.

- Relationship b/w video games / flight simulation
- Air traffic controllers

Railroad:

- You are at the will of the train schedule
- Perceptual experience of the world passes by while you are stationary

Flight:

- Experience of flight not capitalized by business
- Speed has no meaning in the sky
- Illusions provided
- Passengers lose dignity


- View form plane is dreamlike
- Flying says there’s no journey… only trajectory
• Denial = speed and elevation, safety,
• Absurdity of its social space (le Corbusier designed houses based on air travel)
• Connection to cell phones (Plugged in) = telephone slavery

How different is this condition (cell phones) from the social offender how must wear an electronic bracelet?

Airport:

- multi dimensional, multi functional system whose overriding concern is operational
- no situated in the downtowns (therefore facades are not as important)
- architecturally considered to be a large hangar or shed (functionality)
- human docility, homogeneity, replaceability, transistoriness.
- Money and crown are prim movers
- Surveillance is the second practice
- Wholw system relies oninformation (plane arrivals…etc)
- Microscopic scanning of personal items