"Your orientation for the laps (clockwise or counterclockwise) will be determined by which light is green when you arrive at your particular corner. Once walking you should use only functional conversation (this means no aimless chitchat) and your behavior should not deviate from ordinary pedestrian behavior."



//////////////////////////////////////////// the investigation

At the intersection of Grand View & Venice Blvd in Los Angeles CA, on Friday March 21st 2008 5PM, I walked "9 Laps on a crosswalk"

It was a covert performance - an activity, I locked my bike, approached the intersection from the south west corner, the light to cross Grand View was green determining a counterclockwise orientation for the 9 laps. The first third of the walk was very busy with people crossing, the second third had mostly cars. By the 4th part of the 7th lap I was beginning to feel anxious and in a rush to be done, this was followed by a sudden realization that I wasn't in a rush at all. By the 3rd part of the 9th lap I was considering the thought of continuing to walk, but by the time I was on the 4th part of the 9th lap I felt content with being finished.

Do to the transient quality of the space no one noticed the 9 laps. I thought about how I could engage others in this activity. maybe as a way of validating it as a project. The obvious solution was to invite others to walk the 9 laps for themselves. Maybe it isn't the walker(s) of the 9 laps who are performing, maybe by walking the 9 laps one becomes the audience to a performance that is occurring all the time but has no audience.

//////////////////////////////////////////// the invitation


The event will be happening this weekend Saturday the 12th, where, and when, and with whom is up to you.

How this will work is quite simple, you'll prearrange with a friend, or a group of friends, or by yourself if you like, to meet at an intersection during a defined time. The time you choose can be a fixed time, say 11:00AM, or it can be an array of time, say 11:00AM - 11:10AM. Your orientation for the laps (clockwise or counterclockwise) will be determined by which light is green when you arrive at your particular corner. Once walking you should use only functional conversation (this means no aimless chitchat) and your behavior should not deviate from ordinary pedestrian behavior. Once finished what you do next is up to you, but it might be a swell time to grab a coffee with your friends.


/////////////////////////////////////// 9 Laps in Sacramento




/////////////////////////////////////// Post-Thoughts


I participated in two walks the first was with trever jones early in the morning at the corner of Mulhulland Dr and Luaral Canyon. Afterward Trever and I went for breakfast and a long walk and spoke about the 9 Laps, that conversation can found here. Later in the day at 8PM at the corner of Pico and Westwood Blvd I walked with Gareth Walsh. In both occasions myself and my co-walker approached from the same corner, in the morning Trever and I were side by side for the entire 9 laps, in the evening Gareth and I arrived at the corner a moment apart, offsetting our orientation to each other.

Both walks captured key settings within a landscape of thought I've been navigating in regards to this activity.