The Journey is a piece that focuses on transportation, in particular trains. It is a multidimensional piece containing different size trains, running in different directions. I wanted to focus on the different layers within transport systems visually as well as literally. The intricate connections within the transport system help maintain a sense of flow and movement within the city. I view my work as a microscopic demonstration of the interconnections on a larger scale. My piece is a zoomed in view of the links and lines formed through this system. I find it fascinating to visualize the city from a birds eye view and imagine all the intricacies of each bus, tram and train, all travelling simultaneously and crossing over at pinpointed locations. Everything is timed and scheduled and if 1 minute thing goes wrong it can throw off the whole balance and hinder the system. At its best, the system runs like clockwork, a series of cogs and mechanisms that work in unity to maintain a solid and consistent flowing motion.
I was highly influenced by the architectural concept by On Sou Fujimoto that we discussed earlier in the year. This looks at the relationship between the human body and the structure of cities. It highlights the relationship between the 2 seemingly unrelated things such as the way that traffic flow is similar to the circulation of blood in our body or the way that buildings are composed to create space and energy and allot the city to breathe much like the functions of human lungs. In a way everything that has structure, flow and motion will have some sort of a circular system to it. E.g cogs in a clock, chains on a bike, the motor in a computer or engine in a car. “We raise blinds and lower shutters as we do eyelids, animating the house like a secondary body, ensconcing or rejecting light into our spaces.” Man made creations such as the public transport system often subconsciously stem from our understanding of our own body.

Each day there are different carriages transporting masses of people to different locations. People are simultaneously living their lives side by side but may be unknown to each other and never come across one another again. Most trains take on the same form, shape, size and colour but each train has its individual purpose. Each one is suited to a specific group of people, living within a defined geographic region. I wanted my work to communicate the urban, metropolitan environment so unique to Melbourne. Transport is an essential part of our modern and innovative city.
In my readings I looked at the concept of ‘reflection’, by mirroring, overlapping and repeating these visuals of train I wanted to highlight their true importance in the daily lives of civilians as well as tourists. I also looked at reflection as a personal and soulful process of rediscovering history and pondering the ways in which our past can affect the future. Travelling on public transport often provides an opportunity for individuals to undertake a reflection process. This can be a very nostalgic. When we are forced to spend time alone it gives us the space and freedom to think. On the train we look out the window and watch the world pass by, simultaneously we see our lives flashing by. We get lost in thought before we are snapped back into the present by the passing of an unusually close tree or electricity pole.

Reflection is also my way of mirroring and repetition the audiences environment within my work. The location of Signal is metropolitan and is right next to Flinders Station, the heart of the train stations. Many viewers will have just walked past the station or travelled to Signal Via train. When watching my work audiences may still be able to hear the sound of trains in the background. I wanted audiences to be able to draw links between my work and their surroundings in order to evoke an essence of familiarity and conjure up a sense of de ja vu.

I edited my piece to have trains running simultaneously, overlapping and running in layers, similarly to the way the run in real life, especially at busy train stations like Flinders Street. I wanted them to consume the foreground, mid ground and background to communicate this layering. I also chose to focus on movement with my editing, I moved my images from one side of the screen to another. I had them clashing and experimented with the linear movement of the trains.

When editing my sound for Signal I wanted to maintain the focus on transport but switched my attention from trains to walking. This initial method of transport can be very therapeutic and grounding. It brings you back to the hear and now and can strengthen the ties between an individual and their environment. I overlapped the sound of various shoes walking on various surfaces. I recorded heels walking on wooden floors, runners walking on a gravel path, canvas shoes on concrete, thongs on grass and boots on dried leaves and twigs. You can tell allot about a person by these sounds, are they busy/laid back, formal/casual, adventurous/reserved? Listening to the alteration in pace and tempo can give you an insight to someone’s destination and what their day to day life might be like. One of the first things an actor does to get into character is to take on the walk. Do they walk on the balls of their feet or sink into their heels, stand up straight or slouch and scuff their feet, walk pigeon toed or with their feet facing out, do they lead with their head, hips or feet? Observing these things can be key to gaining an understanding of someone’s personality.

TELEVISION, MEMORY AND NOSTALGIA
Amy Holdsworth Print Pub Date: August 2011 Online Date: October 2011
Media & Culture Collection 2012, Series: Palgrave Macmillan Memory Studies
http://www.dezeen.com/tag/sou-fujimoto/