Micro/Macro

A significant place in my walks was the intersection of Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue. There were so many private and special moments in my walk, many oddities, and a lot of observations. This place is interesting because I sort of consider it the center of Milwaukee. It is not geographically the center, but at this point is the convergence of the two most popular downtown streets. At certain points in my walk I felt more distant from the urban landscape. At this spot, the city was most present. The buildings tower above me on all corners. Also, on all corners there were people, especially during lunch or the end of the day. They were all just waiting to cross the street. All types of people come and move through this intersection. This convergence feels like the carotid arteries of Milwaukee in the sense that everyone must pass through this area to get where they’re going in Milwaukee.

As a place that holds personal significance to me I chose Lake Michigan. To me this can defined as both an object (mass of water) and a place (because it is fixed to its location within the United States). There are many great things about the city, but for me it’s not always the perfect environment. Every once in a while I like being reminded that there is water and dirt in my city. Going to Lake Michigan reminds me of a world that is not entirely man made. I am, of course, deceiving myself in some ways, because man has made and shaped the beaches. The water is pure, though. We may mold the Lakes shores, but we have no control of the water itself. Being at the lake and swimming gives me a great sense of relaxation and comfort.

For my intervention I decided to use the form of performance. The piece was meant to be ironic. I stood on the corner of Water and Wisconsin, facing East toward Lake Michigan. I wore only a swimsuit and swimming goggles. It was very gloomy and roughly 55 degrees. In my right hand I held a curled up towel. I stood close to the street corner and stood upright waiting to go to the beach, but I did not move. The main purpose of the piece was really just to be a humorous juxtaposition of a person. People moved past me, some whispering, others laughing, most people in cars turned their heads. It was meant to be funny, so it wasn’t a big surprise that people laughed at me. It was surprising that some people walked past me like I wasn’t there, completely ignoring me. Within ‘the city’ I looked ridiculous. Many people walked by me in nice clothes, and they might have been going somewhere important, maybe to their place of business. Everyone was in a hurry but I was just waiting to go swimming. I was a human in flux for five minutes.