Some people pointed out that I am neglecting my blog. I could come up with a bunch of lame excuses, but then decided to stick to the truth - I simply wasn't in the mood. Yes, I said it! At the same time I felt bad about it and then felt stupid about feeling bad not to post on my blog which resulted in me stubbornly refusing to post at all. Well, it seems like I finally got out of the vicious circle - after a long day that kept me busy doing things like driving to and from Irvine, teaching and being taught, AND getting in shape during 2 hours of Yoga my mood felt right enough to produce something that only requires to make sense in my head.
The highlights of the past weeks can be summarized in: surviving the winter quarter, working on papers, field research and prototypes related to playfulness, surveillance, and performative spaces... However, in between we had something called "spring break". A week of "break" used to spend time preparing for the next quarter is better than continuous pursuit of pre-established coffin addictions. I was told. Aeh right, umm so I decided to take terms like "taking a break" literally (as we German speaking people would say - we MAKE BREAKS! genau! ), invited my Mom over to spend a few days of relaxation and discovered "critical":
![](http://bp3.blogger.com/_YmOvuD4zaq8/Rh3g9UoHkUI/AAAAAAAAABc/WVj24riEHKg/s0-d/zittel.jpg)
and "open" spaces:![](http://bp1.blogger.com/_YmOvuD4zaq8/Rh3hP0oHkVI/AAAAAAAAABk/o-BfeVcLdac/s0-d/DSCN0912.JPG)
The first picture shows art work by Andrea Zittel. I am a big fan of her work, which is exhibited in the MOCA right next to WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution March through July - also awesome! Zittel's engagement with livable and unlivable spaces and how to create space to go on distance to hectic life but to become closer to oneself through a being in and feeling of the world around us certainly drew me in. Even more after visiting Joshua Tree National Park, where she lives and works. Seeing her work right next to the feminist approaches evidences that being and performing a mobile and "by herself" female is still considered outside the norm and outside the "female" space (hence in a museum space), but also that there has been made room for it - right next to the pink razr.
Labels: feminist, irvine, joshua tree, national park, performative, space, zittel