Mrs. Johnston, Brenda, and Doreen

Last Saturday, I spent part of the evening at Mrs. Johnston's house. Doreen, Brenda's sister, was there and we all talked for awhile. Both Brenda and Doreen help Mrs. Johnston and so it was great to hear both of them talk together.

I tried to frame this short audio story around the Wiley's relationship with Mrs. Johnston, especially Brenda and Doreen.

Mrs. Johnston said this when talking about the Wiley's, "They've been back and forth. They come in and out as if we... had one house instead of two." She is right. Brenda and Doreen often go back and forth between their parents house and Mrs. Johnston's house, almost if it the houses were one house.

to do list for Feb. 3-4

The to do list for February 3-4

Record sounds and take photographs from around the neighborhood.

Visit Brenda and Mrs. Johnston on Friday evening and Saturday.

Possibly take an image of a list or ask to receive one.

questions for Mrs. Johnston and Brenda

Where are you? (Describe the present moment.)

Ask Mrs. Johnston about the evening time with Brenda.

What is something people wouldn’t know about Brenda?

What is something people wouldn’t know about Mrs. Johnston?

Have them read and talk about a list for Mrs. Johnston.

Have you been able to get outside?

What do you think about this mild winter?

Do you still go to church?

May you sing Silent Night in German?

(Maybe my Dad can visit and play the guitar.)

What was your garden like?

What is your favorite flower?

Have you ever seen a bald eagle?

(Mrs. Johnston really likes the outdoors.)

Tell me about past family vacations?

(Mrs. Johnston and her family went on some vacations to the American West.)

If I were a reviewer...

Review of Kyle Kulik’s IP Project

Editors Stephanie Rowden and Hannah Smotrich

“Happy New Yeeeaaarrr”, exclaimed a cheerful woman. I heard another person laughing and it was loud, as if that person was very close to me. My eyes were closed and as I heard these sounds, I imagined overhearing a celebration of a new year. “It’s almost 2012 and what year were you born?” “1912”, one of them responds. “So that’s, your going to be how old this year?” “Aaaaa, 59”, said the person that sounded the closest to me. Both women laughed at the response. “Good answer.” “This is your big year coming up.” “I’m going to ignore it.”

This was a part of a series of audio recordings and I heard it at the University of Michigan 2012 Senior Art & Design Show, which was titled Synthesis. After admiring the work of many of the students, I walked down into the lower floor of Work. I immediately saw a room divided from the entire space that looked very different. It was as if a suburban Victorian house was attached to the gallery and I had just walked into a room of the house.

So, there I was within a quite room in the basement of Work Gallery and I reclined in a floral cushioned chair, a chair my grandmother would have owned. Along with this chair there was an old wooden drawer, a lamp stand with an antique lamp, and various images. Next to the chair on the lamp stand there was headphones, the kind that cover your entire ears. I placed the headphones on my head and listened. I spent 30 minutes in that room listening and reflecting. I overheard the lives of two women and their relationship, Brenda and Mrs. Johnston. I heard them speak together and separately; I heard the sounds of the city around them. I began to realize Brenda’s role as a caregiver and I heard Mrs. Johnston’s assertion of her independence in a time when she depends upon friends and family.

The recordings placed me in the environment of two people I did not know. I listened to the intimate sounds and I heard the perspective of two women. I thought, “what will I do when my parents need care and what is it like to be dependent upon others?”

self check 2/3/12

What I did:

I wrote a review about the project. (2 hours)



I made a to do list for this Friday and Saturday. (1 hour)



I set up this blog and made new posts. (2 hours)

What I accomplished/ discovered/ encountered:

This week I didn't complete the 10 hour work week goal, but I hope to accomplish work over the weekend. A few weeks ago my professors gave us the task to imagine our completed project and then they asked us to write a review on the work. This Tuesday I worked on the review and it was a challenge. I had to think like someone who knew nothing about my project. This exercise helped me develop more ideas for my presentation. I wanted to continue writing, but I knew I had to stop. I am a very slow writer and if I continued I probably would of ignored other work. Thursday I made a list of things to do. If all goes well, I will be in Wyandotte Friday and Saturday to visit Brenda and Mrs. Johnston.

What I think I should do next:

Try to accomplish many of the things on the to do list.

how will I present the sound recordings?

Today my GSI, Graduate Student Instructor, James Rotz visited me. He sparked in my mind many ideas for the presentation of my work. How will I present the sound recordings? Throughout the semester, either my faculty, my classmates, or myself used the word intimate to describe some of the recordings. And some of the recordings are very intimate images of Brenda and Mrs. Johnston. Brenda's care giving is intimate.

So, James suggested maybe finding a corner of a gallery for my project. I could position a comfortable chair facing the corner, so all my fellow classmates work would not be seen, nothing against my classmates. I also want to some how remake aspects of the environment of Mrs. Johnston's house: a comfortable chair, a antique lamp stand, a dresser with clothes, and paintings and drawings hanging on the walls. James showed me the work of Trevor Gerring. He made a piece about Holly Park, a mobile home residence founded by his grandpa Hal Gerring. Here is a link to how he presented his work.

Holly Park

The Studio

An AATA, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, bus drives along Bonisteel Boulevard. Maybe it is taking someone home after a day of work because it is almost 4 o'clock. The sun shines from the west and its light illuminates Pierpont Commons and the Duderstadt Center. I take a deep breath.
Blessed Be God In All His Designs -Fr. Solanus Casey O.F.M.

stories from Mrs. Johnston

Around Thanksgiving time, I visited Mrs. Johnston and she told me some stories. We sat on her floral couch below the oil painting of a beautiful mountainous landscape.

Christmas caroling



muskrat in a brown paper bag