poopy

Seeing and really SEEING are two very different sensory experiences. Every day of our lives we see our alarm clocks, babies in strollers, toilet paper soaking in the toilet, last nights leftovers, stop signs. But how much we actually SEE is comparatively small. Light is an aspect of our lives that we see on a daily basis but in reality we don't really SEE it at all. Much of the time we miss out on all the intricate little phenomenon light produces in the multiplicity of environments light graces with its presence. More often than not I only see light in the context of acknowledging that because it is there I can see in what would otherwise be a dark room. There are moments, though, when I really do SEE light. These moments are more few and far between. Recently, thanks to the assignment, I have been able to really SEE light in three very different environments. The first environment was on the bus at around 3 pm, the second was in my bathroom in my apartment, and the last was at the santa monica pier at around 9 pm.
The Big Blue Bus is the last place I would expect to find anything remotely interesting with regards to light. This afternoon that preconception was proven to be completely false. I ride the bus to school everyday and read and much of the time am rather irritated by the constant change of sun to shadow to sun to shadow that is caused by the sun passing behind buildings and billboards on the side of the street. Little did I realize that if I redirected my gaze away from the book and towards the walls and ceiling of the bus I would have a front row seat for a beautiful play of light and reflections.
This afternoon I turned my head away from Rules of Attraction and made a conscious effort to really SEE the subtle dance of light in the Big Blue Bus. The indoor lighting was comprised of a few florescent lights that ran in a single line near the ceiling on both side of the bus. These lights had little effect on the overall lighting of the bus, but among the white florescent lights there where two that had a blue casing which was actually a beautiful break in the mundane monotony of industrial white. Overall the lighting of the bus did not evoke much feeling, and everyone looked pretty ordinary and plain. Sometimes, though, a burst of intense sunlight would burst through the window and spotlight whoever lay in its path, and as soon as it came it would seemingly disappear. The light and shadow play that was caused by the sun passing in and out from behind buildings and shining through the windows of the moving bus, was subtle but beautiful. what would happen is the light would shine at varying angles through the bus windows and create overlapping shadows and light on the floor walls and ceiling. The shadows and light would grow and shrink, appear and disappear, and distort shape. Also the passing cars would reflect light onto the ceiling of the bus in mostly white light but sometimes in shades of red and blue. This subtle light event captivated my attention for the extent of the bus ride.
Familiar and rather unexciting is how I would describe my bathroom, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. At night there is one source of light in my bathroom that sits right above the mirror over the sink. The bathroom is pretty small and the light is relatively intense. It is a tungsten light so the bathroom has a more warm feeling and because of this it also has a comfortingly plain feel. since there is only one light the light itself does not make it to every corner of the bathroom. the shower is much dimmer than the rest of the bathroom but is still lit enough to see where the soap is. This is actually kind of nice because the dim lighting makes the shower even more relaxing and casts a sleepy haze over me during my shower session. Although for the most part the bathroom is pretty plain in its lighting there are some interesting accented lighting events caused by metal objects in the bathroom reflecting the light onto the wall, floor, ceiling, and even toilet paper. The lighting in the bathroom is well suited and every time I poop it comes out smooth and easy because I feel calm and relaxed because the lighting is just right.
As a child I always admired the neon lights of carnivals and county fairs. Today I am still drawn toward this bright and intensely colorful light. On the Santa Monica pier the lighting is similar to something you might find at a carnival. The ferris wheel was really intense and much of the time the light emmited from it overpowered the light that came from the roller coaster of carnival game booths. this had a ethereal effect on the environment as the ferris wheel would cast glows of red or green or blue on the people and objects that stood below it. The game booths had neon lights that rotated between purples and greens and reds and blues which added to the mixing of colored light and it had an almost candy coated feel to it. I felt joy and at the same time I felt a little sick to my stomach, being epileptic would suck. The ferris wheel was probably my favorite light entity because it was so over the top with the constant flux between neon colors and patterns that exploded from the center of the ferris wheel and then proceeded to twirl around the wheel in the opposite direction it was spinning which had a slightly disorienting effect. At the entrance was a slightly ridiculous scene comprised of a large blue, white and yellow neon Pacific Park sign and two bushes carved into dolphins adorned with multicolored christmas lights. The scene was really cheesy but in an endearing way. After being on the pier for some time all I wanted to do was buy a funnel cake and a churro and pay 10 dollars to ride the ferris wheel.

And here is a little bit o documentation:::

...sucka free