At 1:00 pm the 3rd of march 2021
Subject has jumped on exercise bike.
Put on biking glasses as well as sweat towel over the handlebars.
I have managed to take one photo through the study window. I held the camera right by the window and tried to hide my body. I felt really uncomfortable because I was acting like I was doing something wrong. As well as him being able to see me huddled with a big camera in the window.
I am recalling Rupert Sheldrake talk about the phenomenon of feeling people’s eyes on you which causes you to look at the person. I’m trying not to direct too much of my energy at him, so he doesn’t pick up on me spying.
1:05 I looked at him, He’s looking maybe that’s me picking up on him looking at me.
He is one level above me so has a much clearer view of what I am doing.
1:07 I looked again and He’s looking- or more I feel he is looking at me because I feel I am doing something slightly invasive.
1:09 I find that it’s much easier to spy on people at night when I can turn all my lights off and they can’t see me. Last night I saw the neighbours to the right of the biker having sex. Me and Matthew couldn’t see much because of the height difference and the fact that they were potentially on the ground. It was exciting but you could only really see bodies moving, sometimes when legs were up.
1:12 I looked up from my computer and at the man he looked at me, so I averted my eyes and then looked back to which he turned to not look at me.
I like this idea of spying and recording and not just spying or recording my subject as I am experiencing and reacting to this stimulus. I feel much more comfortable just writing rather than taking photos, you’re more getting caught red handed pointing a lens straight at someone.
1:15 he is now biking in an upwards climb. It’s very gently raining again.
1:16 He is back to sitting down biking. But now back up against the hill.
I’m not the only person that peeps this man, my apartment is within the Auckland squash club and on top of us is a bar. My dad plays squash and goes to the bar and he says all the squashy’s watch this guy on his exercise bike. He gets all dressed up in clothes, glasses, backwards cap, when it’s hot he’ll have the fan running directly at him. It makes me feel better knowing I’m not the only one who has followed this thought pattern. However, there is a difference that I am recording this not as data in my mind but putting data together as photos and text. Creating a record that will be frozen in this time.
1:22 I have changed my top to a black long sleeve to better conceal my camera. I feel a like I could be a little bit creepy but I’m an art student so it’s all good. I just don’t want him to notice. I’m going to set up a video camera facing at him so I won’t be pointing it at him; it will be pointing itself at him. I wonder if that slightly changes to legalities? It makes me feel calmer as I am removing my active involvement from the process
1:24 he’s drinking water
1:27 I wonder what music he’s listening too on his EarPods. I see his partner in the background they have a young baby maybe one years old which is really cute and always comes onto balcony.
I feel like it’s fair to surveil myself while I and surveilling another person, it’s somewhat detective and also touristic as I have never done this before in such a proper way (kind of a child hood fantasy). It also draws me to the ideas of the Maulani Meyer reading to allow art and research to unfold. I am simply observing. Me watching him could be making him act differently however I don’t think that is the case as I have been discreet, and he doesn’t seem to be behaving abnormally.
1:43 I brought some “beautiful boho inspired seashell spiral chandeliers” of Instagram.
1:46 I turned off the video camera as don’t need that much footage.
1:52 I am now viewing the subject from the study I am much closer he is pretty much in direct view of me. He is still biking.
2:02 I am still observing however am now editing photos from yesterday as well. I thought hopefully he would stop at 2 and just do an hour there is no sign of this happening.
2:05 The partner was looking at the biker I moved to get a better view of her, and he looked at me.
2:13 he just got off did a stretch and now is talking to his partner through the balcony door, leaning on the hand railings looking to the right looks very red hot and tired. I can see the bald patch on his hair.
2:14 he’s sitting down, taking his shoes and socks off waddling to the bike and wiping his head with the towel, doing something with his I pad next to the bike. Went in through the bedroom door will probably have a shower and chill out.
2:17 singing out
2:44 he is nicely fresh a clean sitting outside doing something on the iPad.
4:32 the kids have joined the bike
I have never seen these kids before, I saw one girl come out then two younger twins at a different time and now there is a young boy to as well as the baby. Now they’re playing and riding on the exercise equipment.
I decided to take down the video footage as it was very zoomed in and i’m still thinking through the ethicality’s and right now didn’t feel too comfortable, in the video you can see him and hear me: what i’m listening to, my typing, breathing ect. which i thought was a fair trade off. what is more of an exposé sound or a video? I feel with the sounds that you could hear it was the video.
Touristing
