notes

Photo taken in the same street
(On how the immediate surroundings can influence behaviour)

papierstrookjes, note, New York, 2007

Sketchbook 4, page 63

The man is standing still: smooth jacket. His thoughts are orderly.
The man is walking: wrinkled jacket. His thoughts are pinched, getting stuck (he walks and gets anxious).

smooth jacket = orderly thoughts, note, Berlin, 2006

Keys that jingle

I would like to film him actually, maybe just for the sound. But the mpvement of his hips are important too.

sleutels die rinkelen, note, The Netherlands, 2006
Sporen trekken, note, Birma, 2006

This woman is reading from a book to the man laying behind her. Every once in a while he lift up his head, when he hasn't understood, to ask her to repeat it. Then he looks at her. For the rest he listenens and she reads. Nice form of communication, especially observed from a distance.

reading out aloud, note, China, 2006

The sun rays break through the holes in the clouds and light up little pieces of the world, as if to bring attention to the really important details.

zonnestralen, note, The Netherlands, 2005

Rome, March 5th 2005

A bus with fogged up windows. All the people sitting by the window are looking out. To be able to see something they've rubbed away a moonshape with their hands. They can look out through the spot they have cleaned. By the form and place of the spot it'spossible to see what they are thinking about.

Condens op ramen, note, Italy, 2005

curved - upright - curved - curved

Bol en recht toonbank, note, Italy, 2006
ruggen tegen elkaar, note, Paris, 2003

These two pictures were next to each other on my desk coincidentally.

They seem like a combination of the past and the present. Photographed on the same spot, only forty years later.

vroeger en nu, note, China, 2005

I filmed a man who was simultaneously walking and reading.
This way I captured the world for him that was passing him by.

 

Walking and reading, note, Japan, 2008

The loosely held pages tremble and move up and down. Through the motion of the subway but also through the natural trembling of the man’s hand and arm.

Show the resemblance between pages and thoughts: first film the loose pages and then move the camera up to his head. Then keep the camera still and focus on his forehead.

Loose pages, note, Japan, 2008

The real situation and the shadow of it.
Try out again to analyse the situation.

 

Schaduwlijnen, note, India, 2009

I thought the shape of the sofa matched the way he was sitting. And I like it that the wider a man mostly opens his legs (or how high his knees gets), how higher the pants crawl. 

trouserlegs, note, Stockholm, 2006

pressing     sticking     loose
leaning

hands holding things, note, Russia, 2006
wet dry, note, Barcelona, 2004

I love permanent seating arrangements in public spaces. People are forced to sit in a way that's already been thought up by somebody.

I also love improvised seating arrangements.

geïmproviseerde zitplaatsen, note, The Netherlands, 2005

The people look at something in the distance. Beautiful, the high wall.

mensen en muur, note, The Netherlands, 2003

Speaking with elbows

These men have their elbows at a set point, their arms lead the conversation.

Talking with elbows, note, The Netherlands, 2004

School in Barcelona

Boys and girls come walking up with rollingcarts. At the gate they fold up the cart and make it into a bookbag. Then they put the bookbag on and they go into the school.
The area around the gate becomes the bordes between rolling carts and bookbags. Some of the children aren't so good at it yet, they just carry the bag in.

This is a good action to use in some sort of way. Maybe for making imaginary borders visible.

Schoolbags, note, Barcelona, 2004

Same wrinkels under his feet
Same wrinkels on the bottle

Shadow line ends exactly at his feet > see elbow in sun

rimpels voeten fles, note, India, 2007
Blote stukken, note, China, 2005
erop eraf, note, The Netherlands, 2005
Hond hond hond, note, Italy, 2006
tas achter rug, note, Russia, 2006
hak opvullen, note, Stockholm, 2006
binnenzak buitenzak parallel, note, The Netherlands, 2004
mensen die zitten, tassen die hangen, note, Ukraine, 2006
tas tussen benen bewaken, note, The Netherlands, 2006

Red lines in NYC.
The red lines around the head of the woman are the most personal.

Red lines in NYC, note, New York, 2005

Push umbrella against wall, like this the umbrella stays. Hands free for other things.

paraplu, note, The Netherlands, 2005
pole, note, The Netherlands, 2005
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© Paulien Oltheten, 2024