Erin:

This piece seemed really appropriate for your personality. I think in a lot of work of yours that I seen, you tend to focus on your wit and interest in social systems. In this piece, however, I feel like you began to address another really central part of your identity as an artist: your energy and your body. Despite the fact that a lot of your day is relegated to sitting at a computer or reading or whatever, there appears to be a big chunk of your psyche that is obsessed with movement, and unable to contain your own impulsive energy. Unlike your mind which is often willing to play devil’s advocate or take either side or be indecisive, your body and your movements always seem very self-assured, concrete, and nuanced with a specific style. This isn’t to say that you should make your art about flopping on the ground in front of a room and expounding energy, but rather consider the relationship these kinetic bursts could have to your more logically-minded art work.

About my personal experience with the piece, there was a moment in the beginning when we were all running together as hard as we could. Everyone was passing everyone and we were operating alone for the most part. I still felt very connected to the class and I actually smiled. One of my friends walked an entire circle around Manhattan the other week. It took her 15 hours. I think for part of the walk, people would happen to walk with her, and then she would lose them and find another group in that trajectory.

John:

I missed the explanation, but saw you take off. I charged up ahead to catch up wiht you and everyone else. Most people started running. I didnt ask what was going on, but instead chose to follow. As i passed people and worked my way to the head of the pack, i noticed people giving up before the second block. I instinctually wanted to run along side you, as cyclists do in a peloton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peloton). As a more dedicated or physically able pack emerged, I noticed how much less of an impact the running group had, though people still regarded us. Alex and I were the last to drop off, several minutes away from Battery Park, as I had class.

Here are my reactions:

I wish you had started a slower pace and kept it. Though I thnk mayhem was an important element, i think that it was short lived. People might have stayed on longer, especially if you didnt specify how much further. I think that the gap of when people break away is interesting, but i think the more that gap can be pushed further into the future, the stronger the “pack” might be. I don’t think that the chance that the piece might fall on its face is potentially interesting in this particular piece.

I think there was something interesting about how you would start and stop periodcally and sometimes allow others to catch up, and sometimes look back to see if we were following you. i think these moments of eye contact made me want to keep up.

Danae:

in the beginning,standing on the corner, when you turned to us and said “OK now we are going to run as far as we can south for 30 minutes” your urge for us to start excited me but i was nervous. for a moment i started thinking about what we were running from or what we were running towards.this confused me, i felt afraid thinking that something was after us, childlike feelings almost. after a few seconds I began to feel emotional because I would turn my head and see the others who were struggling to catch up and i felt bad so i would stop to see if they could catch up. it was about the struggle for me now. i struggled too, my stomach pain kicked in very quickly and i gave up, i could people in the distance running as i turned back to walk towards school, i felt disappointed.

Madalyn:

in response to marys question- i think we are both abandoned and de-hooked. allowed the decision to continue or discontinue.

i am not a runner.

there were two points that stand out in my mind cinematically,

the first- all of us running next to the cooper hotel, staring bystanders half ambivalent, us half smiling or laughing, panting together. we made a scene. the second- losing each other in what seemed a millisecond, there and gone. i was done, we lost sight of each other. satisfied i stopped. i am not a runner.

Nadja:

i was thinking about how it all started in the classroom and how we were quite slow and didn’t get it at first, leading to you waiting for us outside. i’m wondering what would’ve happened if you wouldn’t leave before we were all with you. not that you would nicely wait for us, but that you would stress us and pull us out. that would leave us just running without knowing the purpose of it or how long we would go on. i think i would’ve liked it.

because now there was this awareness of the time limit. for me it really became a competition, not who would run the fastest, but a competition about who would make it to the end. i guess that’s also a personality thing – i hate losing.

Phoebe:

Is running a sign of weakness? Interesting question. I think in some contexts yes, like running away from something, although I don’t think you were running away from your presentation as John suggested. I think in this context running was a marker of commitment. Who could run to the end and more importantly – who wanted to.

What does it mean to run away from Cooper as a pack? We can run away from Cooper only in theory and in spirit. Who would run away from a scholarship to an art school in NYC? Not many.

My gut response to the proposal was one of dismay. Not because I don’t like running but because I wasn’t wearing clothing that I could efficiently and comfortably run in. When I started to get sore feet I started to be angry at you. I wanted to run, to prove I could keep up, but I knew my feet would hurt so much the next day after running in boots. And my tight tight pants. Why didn’t you warn me? When I got the stitch from recently eaten food, I called it quits. Again why didn’t you warn me – I wouldn’t have eaten. But this is just me being selfish, I wanted to keep going, to prove myself. But I knew I wouldn’t in these circumstances. I wasn’t committed enough. And had you warned me and I had been comfortable, it would no longer have been a surprise. It would have been more official – exercise instead of rebellion.

Priscilla:

I thought this was an interesting piece in making “us” disapear, from either perspective (the leader or the followers). it was frustrating trying to keep up and stay in “existance” and misserably failing and becoming extremely lost, even in a familiar environment. i liked how it was executed sporatically and upbruptly and a fight to try to make sense of it all while keeping present or rather “keeping up” and not getting lost.

Alex:

HI casey—

here is my experience of the run. When you first ran out the class room door, i left behind. You had told us that we needed our jackets. When we got otuside cooper and you briefed us- told us that we were going to run as far as we could in 30 minutes, i was met with mixed feelings. First, i felt excited. Second. I wished i didnt have my backpack which was carrying my computer and a couple books. Then. I felt challenged and excited by that challenge. How would i run if i were running for my life? ( this is an extreme example, but these are the types of things i remind myself of when, for example, i am told that i have to run in extremely unfavorable attire)

These mixed feelings informed my physical movements. i occasionally sprinted, then slowed down, adjusted clothes, then sprinted again. I wanted to keep up with everyone else. After a few mintues, i stopped completely to take off my scarf and jacket. I caught up to mary and priscilla. I saw nadja running ahead and i wanted to be ahead of her. So, i ran faster to get past her. once i had past her, i took off my sweater, and was now running in as little clothing as i could. I was holding my backpack straps tight so that my backpack would be close and more of a part of my body, rather than a dead weight. I saw you, john danae and Phoebe. I ran as fast as i could to catch up with you all. I enjoyed running past you, but felt a little guilty so i slowed down. It was also more fun to talk to other people while running once in front. – opposed to talking to people in the middle (Mary and Pricilla) – which made me feel really anxious. Finally it was you me an john. John and I both had class at six and needed to get back. As much as i

would have loved to go to the very end with you, I was ultimately starving and cutting close to class time.

I liked running as a class. Running to me, represents an extremely competitive activity. Speed, strength, breath control, mental and physical discipline are all things that make someone a good runner. As you sped ahead, you initiated a race of some kind. However, your position as a leader made it mentally difficult to pass by you. There was an unspoken rule that i shouldn’t go too far without you. You are dealing with issues of dictatorship, oppression, community, physical and mental endurance, and for some- torture.

i might write more in the morning.