LARGO DAS ARTES: DAY 50

Almost two months in Rio. I cannot believe how fast the time goes and yet I wish I would have more time to refine the last project. From now on each second seems to be precious even now writing my 50th day. Still allowing unexpected moments to fill up my days. Like today when on my way to Largo das Artes I decided to stop at Candelaria Church or Igreja De Nossa Senhora De Candelaria, one of the largest and wealthiest church of imperial Brazil (1775-1894). The ceiling was majestic and the interior full of interesting details. 

I felt it was inside of a baroque and Renaissance architecture while outside the extreme of Rio was almost apocalyptic. Lot of traffic, big buses, no crossing lines and the homeless sleeping inside of a rudimental home made with cartoons and strings well knotted to the gate. The smell of urine and the slight movement inside of the packaging was a sign that a person was there, facing the first rainy day of Autumn.

At Largo das Artes I finished to select and map the sound. Before meeting Frado Monteiro, the sound designer, quickly I went out for lunch to a Chinese place to eat noodles and budino. Than to the post office to send a card for Chris, thinking of his coming birthday in April... It was my first experience to the Brazilian 'correios'. I had to pick a ticket and wait my turn even for buying a simple stamp! 

And than Frado Monteiro arrived at 3.30pm and worked with me until 7.00pm. He was talking to himself, lot of thinking, doing lots of calculations and drawings, tagging each woofers and testing them and finding out two woofers were not working... A close up to the music program was like being inside of planet Mars! While Frado Monteiro was doing this, I started to cut the black cord used for hanging the woofers from the ceiling; a very patient task because the rope hadn't been rolled properly .

Than I had to time out Frado Monteiro, stopping him doing his own indispensable work and going back mapping the sound together. I have only 3 days to work on it than I will be away for 10 days and once back everything has to be ready to ride! In fact how to manage a collaboration with a technician is a very important part of my artwork as being an installation artist. It makes you aware how to balance time, human relationship and humour.