01/12/10; 8:30 am - N train across the
Manhattan bridge, heights of downtown
obscured by passing clouds.
Latitude: 40˚43'59"N
Longitude: 73˚59'13"W
“Perhaps the black hole becomes the
seed from which the galaxy sprouts.”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“Good morning!” “Hello!” “How are you?”
“Inclusus… a chance to create...”
“Vedo la luna, vedo le stelle,
Vedo Caino che fa le frittelle… “
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“… Andromeda, is ‘to think of a man…’"
“… mas eu não penso senão em si.”
11/11/09; Wednesday
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fresco, Imperial Roman
Mythology Room,
Imperial Villa at Boscotrecase
Perseus and Andromeda
Late C1st BC
With time to pass on the upper east side, I
feel drawn to the Met and the
Greco-Roman wing. To my surprise, I find
the galaxy rising before me, arms
outstretched, hip cocked, wrists chained
to the sea cliff, waiting…
Latitude: 40˚46'42"N
Longitude: 73˚57'45"W
“Vedo il lupo incatenato,
M’ha rubato ‘l mi’ castrato,”
“Black holes … form when stars die.”
“He thought they were anathema.”
“… gostaria que pensasse que é triste ser
marreca e viver sempre só à janela…”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“Andromeda … is charging toward us…”
“Liebende, Marina, dürften soviel nicht von dem Untergang wissen.”
“… this monstrous, mysterious thing.”
“Eu às vezes dá-me um desespero como
se me pudesse atirar da janela abaixo…”
“We are falling toward each other…”
“…Marina, die stürzenden Sterne!”
“Il castrato ‘un era mio,
Era del prete di San Mattio.”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“… pequeno aspecto do meu tinteiro…”
“San Mattio lavorava,
E la capra si bagnava,”
“… the galaxies circle and entwine.”
“… porque eu não pensei senão em si…”
“… and one day we will collide.”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“O perché ti bagni tanto,
A quest’acqua e a questo vento?”
“Laborious, physically taxing work…”
“E eu pensei que faço eu no mundo …”
“…gave a scribe a chance to purge his
soul.”
“The galactic center is playing hide and
seek behind overcast skies.”
“The central stars were shrouded by
cosmic dust.”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“Do you think we’re doing okay, Alyssa?”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“Julia, no llores, ¿por qué lloras?”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“aufschau! Wieder. Leicht und gesichtlos”
“Come, stand back here and look.”
11/15/09; Sunday
Frick Collection; East Vestibule
Tiepolo; Perseus and Andromeda 1730;
oil on paper affixed to canvas;
20 3/8 in x 16 in. (51.75 cm x 40.64 cm)
I turn a corner and, suddenly, the
voluptuous arms of the galaxy twirl
skywards, flying!
Latitude: 40˚46'16"N
Longitude: 73˚58'2"W
“O die großen Sterne.”
“…wrestles it to a window, …”
“… chego à minha janela sobre a rua…”
“… y comenzaba a cantar una canción
olorosa a estrellas...”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“ …olho o grande céu e os muitos
astros,…”
“… and throws the massive manuscript to
the ground.”
Andromeda (M31, NGC 224, Uppsala
454, MCG 7-2-16, PGC 2557):
Right Ascencion: 00h 42m 44.3s
Declination: +41˚16'9"N
Red Shift: -301 +/- 1km/s
Apparent Magnitude: 3.44
Apparent Dimensions: 190' x 60'
Distance: 2.54 +/- 0.06 Mly
“Y las lágrimas que descendían por el
rostro sin cesar, fueron quedando, sólidas y
brillantes en el aire.”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“La luz perla…”
Latitude: 38˚04'45"N
Longitude: 01˚16'07"W
“Wir rühren uns, womit? Mit
Flügelschlägen,…”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“… os meus sonhos substituem bem…”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“… o universo e as suas estrelas….”
“mit Fernen selber rühren wir uns an…”
“… y casi las rozaban con las alas.”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“… sou livre com um esplendor alado cuja
vibração me estremece no corpo todo.”
dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack, dack
“Thank you thank you, have a good
evening.” “My pleasure, you too! See you
tomorrow.”
Sources: English. Author's diaristic voice, Chris Miller's website about the formation of black holes, Wikipedia "Andromeda (mythology)" article, transcripts of Monsters of the Milky Way and The Devil's Bible. Italian. Nursery Rhyme passed down to author from her Italian American grandparents. Portuguese. Fernando Pessoa's Letter from a Hunchback to a Metalworker and The Book of Disquiet. German. Rainer Maria Rilke's Overflowing heavens of lavish stars, Ignorant before the heavens of my life, Elegy to Marina Tsvetayeva, and a letter to Marina Tsvetayeva. Spanish. Entre Visillos by Carmen Martin Gaite and folk tales of love from Guatamala, Nicaragua, and Brazil.
*Written in response to the work of Elena del Rivero, for inclusion in the catalogue that accompanies the exhibitions, Flying letters (Espacio AV, Murcia, Spain) and A drawing fallen from the sky, (La Conservera, Ceutí, Spain) - March 2010
