Willow Grove Cemetery Manifesto

When I saw the list of locations for this project, the cemetery really stuck out to me. I thought it would be a great place to do this project since a cemetery in itself incorporates so many of the themes we have discussed in class. the most important being the fact that it is a heterotopia. after more research, we discovered that the cemetery is divided into three parts, three different cemeteries, creating more heterotopias. so there are three separate places inside another place.
another thing i find interesting about this place is that it's not an ordinary cemetery. when i visited, it was not peaceful and serene like you would picture a cemetery, but it was extremely noisy and so many things were happening around it. originally, willow grove cemetery was built in the center of the city, like most cemeteries used to be built, but because of urbanization and housing, there are buildings basically built on top of it. there are so many houses along the cemetery that don't really have a backyard, instead they have a cemetery. the noise that came from these houses and buildings were interesting. a few of the things you would hear are dogs barking, cars passing by, a neighbor blasting his radio, and ice cream truck... and then there's just noises that you would regularly hear in nature. it's strange that the cemetery is supposed to be its own separate space, but you hear all these noises that don't belong, noises from another place. i feel that any cemetery is supposed to be a private space which is detached from the regular, normal atmosphere of the busy city. instead, this cemetery is connected and is a part of the city and a part of the people. obviously, the neighbors are used to having a cemetery in their backyard, it seems like a cemetery means nothing to them and would not bring about any emotion to them. but for those who do not have to look outside their windows and see a cemetery everyday, it is something that is special to them in a way, or sacred even. in this way, this cemetery is very much connected to the people of new brunswick, and the city itself.
the reading, a different city for a different life, is like our project in how it deals with how urbanization has decayed what is supposed to be sacred and kind of beautiful- the cemetery. it's interesting in how the reading talks about play and that there's not enough of it. because towards the back left of the willow grove cemetery there is a "playground" right behind it. this is a really bad excuse for a playground as it is just a slide with some bars. and it's also looking over the cemetery, which is nice for the children i guess.

cat camera

i just saw stephanie's project attempting to follow her dog and it remembered this thing i saw in people magazine about a cat camera. this couple attached a camera that would take a picture every two minutes to their cat's collar and were able to see their cat's every moment and where it went everyday. they even found out that their cat had other cat friends in the neighborhood. i thought this was really interesting because stephanie tried to see what her dog did on a daily basis but since the dog knew that she was being followed, she did not go about her daily life. the cat camera would have worked for this because the pet would not know or think that they are being followed.
i couldn't find the article i read, but this is the same couple's flickr with the pictures from their cat's daily life.
oh and i just found cooper's (the cat) blog :)

the following project

the idea of following someone first excited me for some reason, i really don't know why, but when it came to actually following through with it, i became really nervous and i couldn't do it. i tried a few people at first until i realized that once i lost them, i would not be able to find them again since they are complete strangers. so after considering my options of people to follow, i chose a guy in my dorm. he isn't particularly random- i chose him because i think he's really weird and creepy. he always tries to talk to me(but in a weird way) so i decided that i would be creepy to someone who is creepy to me. i first saw him in the hallway of my dorm and that's when i began following. before this, i didn't know if he lived in my building or not, since i see him about once every two weeks, i just thought he was a friend of someone who lived here. but it turns out, he does. anyway, i followed him to the student center where he went in and met up with a friend. he still had no idea he was being followed, but i wasn't making it obvious since a lot of people were going on the same path. this guy literally stayed there for like an hour and a half, but luckily, i had a friend join me so i wouldn't look like a weirdo sitting by herself watching some guy. finally, him and his friend leave for the bus stop, but he continues walking towards the busch suites. at this point, it's dark out and really cold. he was walking really fast since it was raining even though he had an umbrella. i did not. i tried to keep up with him without being obvious but it was hard cause a girl was walking in front of me and kept turning around when i was trying to get pictures. i picked up my pace and caught up with him. he went into a building and i tried to catch the door before it locked but i was too late.
following him was much easier to do when he was walking to the suites since it was dark. another plus was that it was cold and raining so he was rushing and not really paying attention to whether or not he was being followed. either way, he was pretty clueless so i doubt he would have known.
while he was walking and i was following, he suddenly started singing! it was the weirdest thing cause he wasn't even trying to hide it. i tried to record it but he was too far away so the microphone on my camera couldn't get it :/ it was pretty funny though, a man with a green umbrella, singing in the rain.