How to Impersonate a Journey

Impersonating a Journey: Walking



This is my impersonation of the journey I make from university back to the train station in Plymouth.

Point 1 is outside the entrance of Babbage building.

Point 2 is outside the train station.

It is re-created at Lego figure scale (1:45), but at the speed I usually travel at.

Actual distance: 600 metres
Impersonated distance: 13.3 metres

Actual time: 270 seconds
Impersonated time: 6 seconds

Filmed 16th February 2007 at Broadsands car park, Paignton, Devon


Impersonating a Journey: The Train











This is my impersonation of the journey I make on the train from Plymouth to Totnes.

Point 1 is Plymouth train station.

Point 2 is Totnes train station.

It is re-created at N-Gauge model train scale (1:148), but at the speed I usually travel at.

Actual distance: 37000 metres
Impersonated distance: 250 metres

Actual time: 1500 seconds
Impersonated time: 10.1 seconds


Filmed 7th March 2007 at Goodrington beach, Paignton, Devon


Impersonating a Journey: Driving















This is my impersonation of the journey I make from the train station in Totnes, to my home in Paignton.

Point 1 is outside of Totnes station.

Point 2 is the location of my house.

It is re-created at Matchbox car scale (1:64), but at the speed I usually travel at.

Actual distance: 10000 metres
Impersonated distance: 156.25 metres

Actual time: 720 seconds (without stops)
Impersonated time: 11.25 seconds

Filmed 6th March 2007 at the green, Paignton, Devon

New Post

Catchy title, no?

No more Gonzo notes. The idea is clear in my head.

Impersonate a journey!

It all makes sense. First it was Elvis, then we went on the Torpoint Ferry, then I dressed up as a fridge, and the next logically impersonation, is that of the journey.

It can be looked at it in several ways.

1. The ferry.
I said that the ferry isn't a boat because it is stuck on chains which restrict it. It is impersonating either a bridge or a train.

2. The camper van.
It's a van trying to impersonate a home. But it like the ferry is a form of transportation.

3. The fridge.
Part of the fridge thing was (though I didn't mention) that I had to carry the painted cardboard box with me into the university. It wasn't something I just popped online to show. I had to think very carefully about how to transport it from where I live to university. I decided the best way would be by car, then I'd have to find the nearest car park.


My plan is to impersonate the journey I make from university to my home.

It will mean I have to scale down my journey to a certain size/scale and film each of the three parts; walking to the station, the journey on the train from Plymouth to Totnes, driving from Totnes to home.

Gonzo Blogging

"My idea [for Gonzo Journalism] was to buy a fat notebook and record the whole thing, as it happened, then send in the notebook for publication—without editing. That way, I felt, the eye & mind of the journalist would be functioning as a camera. The writing would be selective & necessarily interpretive—but once the image was written, the words would be final"

Hunter S. Thompson, in his essay on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream


Fridge - two required (one for cutting open, second for interior shots - must be working).

Use as prop. for movie. Movie must be voxpops, otherwise, doesn't make sense.

Or, cut fridge open, performance Mk. II. Inside the fridge is the body, contents of the fridge is inside the body.

EXCEPT!

Gases and/or liquids contained walls of fridge for usual use prevent cutting open, due to possible death(s) arising from it.

For movie, use a mock up. Put it all together in Premier/After Effects/MS Paint/glue but this problem also.

How to transport a fridge to location??!?

Forget all the above ideas.

Come up with new sparkly ideas. Based on Space.

I really wish Spore was out.

What about refuse/bin bags? Too unsightly/vulgar/smelling of plastic/tacky/obvious.

Think Batman, think.

A4 = 45p A3 = 85p

Money and wealth.

No. Doesn't work with impersonation/mimic/anything.

What abut the modem?

How could that work?

Wi-fi. Bad experiences. Modems a pain, from experience.

Some guy on his phone in the Open Access area.

Some woman the otherside of the fire doors on her mobile phone.

Divided by firedoors, phone use permitted, and restricted. Reflections in the glass.


Possible creation ridiculously restrictive signs

"Do not look left"

"Do not skip"

"Do not count pigeons"

Place in busy areas in Plymouth.

Would have to look official, so correct printing materials required. Possibly expensive for short runs. Steven Farmer possibly unhappy due to Banksy reference.



Film reaction. Film voxpops, of reaction. Mimic and mock restriction.

Seems copycat idea.

MUST TRY HARDER!

What if other people impersonate me, I put together a film of what people think are my characteristics? How does it relate? Edwin Jefferson > Fridge > Me

It makes sense. Not fridge impersonating me. People impersonating me. But hardly anyone knows me. Exactly! It is their idea of the space that I exist and create. What they expect of me. How they expect me to react. Brilliant!

Is it? Stupid self-doubt.

Must film my brother, pretending to be me. Get my mother and father to impersonate me.

It could work. If carefully edited, to create a convincing impersonation of me.

I think. Don't know what they think of me.

Could embarrass me. << Good reason to do it.

How to Impersonate a Fridge

Stuart Gardner is Elvis Presley

For one day only, the title is my intention.

Since this is the 'small project', I wish to impersonate Elvis for a day, and record (by means of a video camera), me doing my normal Stuart things, but in the guise of Elvis.

Like the ferry, I will be two things at once, except those things aren't a boat and a road, most obviously I will be a schlock impersonation of kitsch.

Why am I humilating myself infront of friends and strangers alike?

Because like it says in Borden's Skateboarding (Chapter 8, Performing the City), 'you cannot control the use of public space', and I am interested that whilst in virtual world's such as Second Life, the ability to change one's appearance to something unusual is used quite often, whilst away from that people continue to conform to certain standards, almost believing they can't wear what they want. Why must I feel restricted in what I wear because of others opinions? Do they not have their own desires to dress up in clothes which may make them feel embarrassed of their opinions?

The skateboarder is restricted by the laws of the city and breaks them. Should the individual not break their own rules of what they can and can't wear according to the likes of Trinny & Susannah?

Take my wearing of an Elvis costume. My two main thoughts on this are:

1. I am impersonating Elvis, yet I do not look like him, I do not sound like him and I have very few similiarities with him. I do not cease being Stuart Gardner and become Elvis Presley with his abilities. Yet I am sure I will get people saying things to me like 'play us a song' or 'look, it's Elvis'. I will be seen as Elvis and recognised as attempting to impersonate him, because the image of Elvis is so clear and vivid to people.

2. If my actions are my own, and I do not attempt to walk, talk, sing or dance like Elvis, then how much is it that the clothes make the person? If I walked, talked, sang and danced like Elvis, would I be as easily seen to be impersonating him?

Johnny Cash impersonates Elvis

Current idea

I'm currently thinking of using Second Life for an Elvis Presley impersonator convention of some sort. An imitation of life, with digital imitations of Elvis.

There already appears to be a Church of Elvis, so hopefully I can enlist their help for a big contest. Or maybe I should get Elvis impersonators to impersonate Elvis in Second Life?