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The Basics
Age and occupation. How long have you lived here, where did you come from, and where do you live now?
Dave Mandl: Age: Ageless. Occupation: Computer geek, writer/editor, radio DJ, photographer, and co-organizer of Psy.Geo.Conflux. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, and still live there.
Christina Ray: Age: What Dave said. Occupation: photographer/painter, founder of Glowlab [a Brooklyn-based arts lab], and co-organizer of Psy.Geo.Conflux. I was born in California but have lived all over the country and in Japan for a few years; currently living in Brooklyn.
Three for Two
1. You're organizing the 2nd annual Psy.Geo.Conflux conference/festival in NYC. Can you tell us more and what "psychogeography" is all about?
The term "psychogeography" was first coined by the Situationists in the 1950's. The definition is roughly "the study of the effects of the physical environment on human emotions and passions." Psychogeography is about exploring or experiencing the physical landscape in new ways: trying to find what's marvelous, life-affirming, or at least exciting about seemingly mundane places--or transforming them to make them more marvelous, life-affirming, or exciting.
There's also a strong utopian element in psychogeography--there's the impulse to create spaces that are more congenial, more exhilarating, more conducive to romance, etc., rather than seeing them as just conduits for the movement of commuters or consumer goods. Psychogeographers are generally very interested in architecture (if it's done right); "intentional communities" can also have a lot to do with psychogeography, since they're about creating ideal social and physical spaces from the ground up. There's often an interest in chance and randomness, and the desire to study or subvert the paths and patterns we create as we walk through cities.
As for the Conflux, we noticed that there'd been a big surge in interest in psychogeography in the past few years, so we thought it would be a good idea to bring a lot of the people who are thinking about these things together for a four-day event in New York. It seems that there's been much more psychogeographical activity, and much more collaboration on projects, in Europe and Canada than here, so we felt somewhat obliged to get something going in the States.
2. Is this a "take back the streets" movement and if so, who are we taking it back from?
Yes and no. It's not usually that explicitly political (though it is implicitly political). It's more about transforming spaces and "using" them in new ways. True, that sometimes involves taking them back. But we don't think we ever really gave them up to begin with.
3. Funerals For A Moment -- just one of the projects featured in the Conflux that got me thinking. Several years ago when ordering an egg sandwich on a plain bagel (not toasted) at the Hot Bagels deli on Houston right next to Katz's I remember making the last second decision to request a slice of tomato. How does this rank as an NYC inconsequential moment?
It's pretty inconsequential, but it might have been a life-changing instant for you. We wouldn't want to make any assumptions.
Proust-Krucoff Questionnaire
Time travel question: What era, day or event in New York's history would you like to re-live?
We're both pretty fascinated by early New Amsterdam. We would love to have hung out at Canal St. when it was a Canal, or Bowling Green when it was a bowling green, or Wall St. when it was a wall.
9pm, Wednesday - what are you doing?
Dave: I'm right in the middle of my radio show (WFMU-FM).
Christina: Sometimes trying to tune in WFMU -- without much luck.
Where do you summer?
Both: The same place we winter, spring, and autumn--Brooklyn.
What happened the last time you went to L.A.?
Dave: I decided for the first time that I really loved it.
Christina: I rode around in a rental car for days with a video camera pointed out the window to capture the loopy, curving freeway architecture. I was the passenger, not the driver.
If you could change one thing about New York, what would it be?
We'd re-appropriate corporate atriums and convert them to public parks.
The Psy.Geo.Conflux is taking place all over NYC on May 13 to 16.
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"We'd re-appropriate corporate atriums and convert them to public parks."
That would be a brilliant way of making sure no one built a "corporate atrium" ever again.
If so, good riddance. The only reason developers build those useless, faux-public spaces in the first place is to obtain zoning concessions and bonuses. They may work fairly well as development incentives, but their return to the life of the city is negligible, and even detrimental. This city, as vibrant and eminently walkable as it is, would be better off without them.
Would it be possible to restrict interviews to only people from planet earth?
"This is exactly why having comments on is inappropriate for interviews."
Since Krucoff in his infinite arrogance has turned off comments, I think one last comment needs to be made on this statement. The thing that is great about the Internet is the two-way communication aspect. It's a levelling force. You've interviewed some very interesting people. But since there is an insistence on posting a new interview each day, there are also bad interviews.
What's infuriating about your attitude Krucoff is how you seem to demand via implication that all comments be glowing and positive like some cheerleading rally. Get over it. People are saying what they think. And while in the past feature writers could exist in relatively protected from readers comments in print, online everyone can speak and they often will. And if you look at the majority of comments, it's a 50/50 split between positive and negative.
The point being get over yourself. If you can't stand the fact that people can comment and make opinions online, please get offline and leave the Internet alone.
We all know writers tend to be vain and a tad fragile. And Internet writers seem to suffer more from these traits. But just toughen up a bit and be an adult and learn how to roll with the punches.
Thanks for providing the definitive "one last comment" on the subject. Illuminating to the point of blindness. (I forget, who's being arrogant?) Yes, the internet IS a two-way medium (it can also be a three-way fuckfest if you fancy that kind of thing as well), and you CAN say WHATEVER you want on YOUR OWN site.
Shout it from the tallest building my friend, buy ad space in the NYTimes, trash me from here to Canarsie. I don't care about the negative comments involving me in the least. Hilarious stuff in fact. But as Choire Sicha pointed out in the first week these launched, comments should *not* be on for interviews because this is not a regular blog post and it's a bit ridiculous for interviewees to be subjected to anonymous crap-mouthing.
The thing is, I don't even like the positive comments. They add no value either. Neither I or the people being interviewed need any validation via this venue. It's a freakin' interview, it shouldn't turn into a slagfest of the subject or get all cutesy with Friendster-esque testimonials. There's just little point in leaving a comment. Is this arrogance? I don't think so but what do I know, I'm just a moron. But I got many emails today that echoed what this person said:
"Also, thanks for taking away comments on Gothamist. Way to exercise the most appropriate of editorial powers."
Again, feel free to grandstand your infinite insight on the Gothamist forum! Two-way away, dude...