This morning’s run took me passed the Swiss and the German ambassadors’ residencies. Every morning of the residency, except while we were away in the country, I have been for a run. The runs are about 40 minutes, I have no idea how far I run and that is not so interesting to me. I brought with me my running shoes and some warmer running wear. I wait until it is light before running – I did not bring lights or especially reflective clothings. I notice that my runs now start 20 about minutes later than they did when I first got here – daylight hours shorten. I have chosen different routes for each run: by the lake, on dirt tracks, on gravel roads, beside major traffic ways. These routes have provided me diverse glimpses in to the areas within a 5 to 6 kilometer diameter of the residency. I have run passed small industrial units, abandoned buildings, residential tower-blocks (both older and under construction), grand old houses behind electronic gates, the Jewish cemetery, the military academy and the Nato compound. I have run passed small local grocery stores, allotments, a vast complex of lock-up garages far from any housing, roadside flower stalls, the Latvian Sports Academy, tennis courts, and a car-wash. I have run over train tracks and tram-lines. I have noticed the red covers of access to the underground water pipes, the overground pipes that form arches over entrances and slip-roads, the parking signs that show exactly how to park – on the road perpendicular to the pavement, on the pavement perpendicular to the road, on the road parallel to the pavement, on the pavement parallel to the road. I have seen architecture from the soviet period, from before the soviet period and from after it, buildings that are neglected and building that are immaculate. I have seen clean pavements, bare trees, deep murky puddles, and the tiniest of snowflakes. I have raised my hand in greeting as I have passed other runners (only three to date). My glasses have become wet with the droplets of the morning mists, and my cheeks have become rosy with this weeks drier colder air. Are these runs part of the residency?
We, myself and the other artists, are fascinated that Laura (residency co-host) is a beach-tennis champion. That piece of information seems at odds with how we experience her. On the way to the countryside, in her car, we asked her more about it. In a guarded(?) response she spoke about how she sees her athleticism as an aspect of her practice. It is irrelevant to her if her opponent, or partner when playing doubles, is aware of this. I keep my athleticism – running and/or CrossFit – quite distinct from my practice. Why do I make this distinction? There are other distinctions that I also make: my employment and interest in baking for example. There are even the administrative aspects of being an artist that I see as distinct from my practice. I find myself wondering if these distinctions are necessary and/or useful. Could they perhaps stand in the way of my practice having a more certain kind of integrity … could they stand in the way of me having a sense of wholeness? Could they at once both explain my frustrations and hint at resolutions?
