Out In The World: Sound track script

Sound track written by Jennie Savage

Section 1: University

<Fade into field recording of steps walking up to the entrance. As I enter the building the narration begins.>

If you look straight ahead and slightly to your left you can see a large 7 - storey building that resembles an architects model. Onto the main block is a smaller, 3 - storey building, and running up the side of the main building is a red brick column. On the right hand side of the column is an industrial looking steel silver tube. Often, steam rises slowly out of the top of the tube, animating the building and suggesting that inside there is a miniature industrial zone. In many ways it is. The industry of the 21c resides not in big factories but in office blocks and architects models.

At night this side column is illuminated revealing a fire escape. I fantasise about breaking in and running to the top, so I can look back at myself.

The building is part of the University of Laval. When I first arrived in Quebec I would look out of this window at the view and see just buildings. As I became more familiar with my surroundings I began to pick out individual spaces. This place was easy to recognise as a university, at night, when it is lit up, you can see inside, the shorter brick block is a library and I can often see people in there reading; I wonder if they can see me. During the course of the evening different rooms are illuminated revealing students in seminars, leaning back on chairs and, like me, looking out of the window.

The recording you can hear in the background is taken inside the building. I walked in through the front door, took the lift to the top floor and then stood, looking back at this space. Then I took the lift back down and walked out through the front door. Nobody noticed me.

 I feel like I already know this space, the students, the internal politics, the hierarchy’s. As with most modern university’s the building feels corporate, more like a business than a place of learning, exchange or personal growth. The interior architecture seems designed to crush the human spirit rather than encourage it. Perhaps this is good for the students. They will move seamlessly between worlds, reaching the world of work and being comforted by their familiar surroundings.

<Street sounds continue. Recorded on Charest Est. on Wednesday 8th Feb. 2006 at 8.50am>

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Section 13: End

Now look into the far right, bottom corner. We are on that road, following its elegant curve to arrive back on Charest Est. Past the station and back to a now familiar scene. Back to being a voyeur, looking out from the window as opposed to being an actor, instigator of action and present on the surface of the city. Stories of my visit will ripple slightly on the surface of the cities reality as the security guard at the paper factory tells his wife about me, wondering who pays for this stuff, or the taxi driver explains his tardiness to his grandchildren or the lady in subway wonders why I needed to go to hospital. And, just like that, in a small way, I am part of the city.

Fade out to end.

To read full text or to receive a film version of this project email me through this site. copyrite js march 2006.