Yep, That’s a Monument

What is thought of when one hears the word monument? Is it grand, large, importance, sculpture? By definition monument is a noun that means a statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a famous or notable person or event. However in Smithson’s article, “The Monuments of Passaic,” published in Art Forum in 1967, he explores types of monuments that are rather unexpected. Construction sights, rusty bridges, and parking lots are now places of importance, standing monuments in the city of Passaic, New Jersey. By placing importance on these overlooked and deserted places, Smithson makes the viewer question what exactly is a monument while mapping and recording urban spaces and sites that are so often ignored by the masses, yet are so important to the makeup of a city and urban space. These deserted places better depict the everyday life and history of humans than any monument could.

As you begin reading the article, the story recalls a bus trip that Smithson took to Passaic, New Jersey in which he photographed desolate places and locations.  “The bus passed over the first monument. I pulled the buzzer-cord and got off at the corner of Union Avenue and River Drive” (70). These unassuming places, normally ruins of some type of architecture, are now regarded in glory as Smithson photographs the sites calling them monuments that “define the memory traces of an abandoned set of futures” (72). Nothing goes unnoticed with Smithson—used car lots become “new territory”, old sandboxes become “model deserts,” and idle machines become “mechanical dinosaurs stripped of their skin.” Smithson is trying to accurately record what, in this mind, should be considered monuments, what should be admired by the masses and revered as phenomenal.

 But why? Why would Smithson go through the trouble of photographing a rusty sign, concrete abutments, and old pipes? How are these structures even important, yet alone worthy of being called monuments? To answer this question perhaps we should look at another definition of the word monument in which it means, “ any building, megalith, etc., surviving from a past age, and regarded as of historical or archaeological importance.” Smithson is taking this definition literally by addressing any building, megalith, etc. as monumental. By calling these sites monuments, Smithson makes the viewer question his or her definition of a monument. Why is this place memorable? What makes a monument important and what we should actually be regarding as important enough to be considered a monument? In the eyes of Smithson, these sites tell more about our future and past than do most traditional monuments in which one person or place is idolized. The past and the future cannot accurately be judged and discovered by remember the acts of just one person. The past and future can only be discovered and explored by remember how the everyday and how people lived and live their everyday life. Everyday life is about rusty pipes, abandoned lots, and old bridges. These objects reveal the everyday more than anything else because they reveal

 By recoding these forgotten places in the city of Passaic, New Jersey, Smithson tries to question the definition of a monument. Why shouldn’t the abandoned lot and old construction ruins not be considered just as important as the Gateway Arch or Washington Monument? Things happened in the places as well, did they not? Through his art, Smithson is trying to draw attention to the everyday forgotten places that make up the country of the United States. They are everywhere, in county, city, and state yet no one seems to deem them important enough to give them a second look. Well in “A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey” Smithson gives them the attention they deserve.

The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Different Parts

In Colson Whitehead’s The Colossus of New York: A City in Thirteen Different Parts Whitehead examines the many intricacies of what it means to be a “New Yorker” living in New York. What examines what it means to live in different apartments, maneuver through subway systems; walk down Broadway, and to create your own skyline of the city. Colson explains what it means to truly be a New Yorker, more so than any tourist book ever could. He writes about street corners, mom and pop shops, and gum underneath the subway seats. He describes the personal relationship that he has with his city, a relationship that is different than every other relationship he has.

            Colson describes so personally his relationship with the city of Manhattan in the section “Broadway.” Walking down the street Broadway, “there will be no destination. No map. Live her long enough and you have a compass” (73). Sometimes the only way to truly understand a city is to walk with no destination. So he walks down Broadway. He walks past children; pass going-out-of-business sales, and past cracked sidewalks. He comments of no matter how much you walk, “you will always end up where you begin,” meaning the city is never going anywhere. You can push against it and flee from it, but Broadway will always be here.

            The things you learn about ones self through living, walking, moving, and breathing in a city is astronomical. “Day by day you contribute to it,” writes Colson and day-by-day it contributes to you and you begin to create your own city, your own skyline. “You start building your private New York the first time you lay eyes on it.” What you witness from the very first time you set your eyes on New York City to the time you leave becomes the city you build. Each person has built a different city in their mind, yet they are all the same place. Each place you go, each person you see, each sidewalk you cross, and each train you take contributes its attributes to “your city.” They way you saw it then is how you will always remember it, even if places go and new buildings are built, you will always recall how it was when you first laid eyes on it.

Proposal of Mapping Neuromancer

In order to map a city with no location, it seems you would have to do the impossible. Mapping nueromancer goes beyond typical physical aspects of terrain, buildings, and streets, and challenges the mapper. into figuring out how one would put such as city on paper. Corner speaks on the idea that to fully map an area, town, city, or country you must imagine and create something outside the normal.


As far as mapping nueromancer goes, I see this as much more of a creative and experimental process rather than just a "tracing," which Corner warns us so spirited against. Mapping becomes the process of projecting a mental image into the "spacial imaginative."


I feel the best way to begin mapping nueromancer would be to do it in different levels, layers, or sections. I believe not only should geographical elements be involved in mapping (which is easy to do in places such as Chiba City, Istanbul, and Japan) but aspects such as people and cultural elements should be considered as well (especially in the ageographical spaces such as the matrix, ROM and nueromancer)


In order to map cyberspace, I have come to the conclusion that it becomes more of an interactive discussion rather than an actual physical map. I believe that only way to map cyberspace is to map by observing the interaction between people and space IN cyberspace. What are the relationships between people? How do they move within the matrix?

Free Write oct. 26

Mapping, I believe, is so important in science fiction novels because, in general, the reader is taken to a different place when reading a science fiction novels. Most science fiction novels involve some far off place, whether on Earth of not, that is normally exotic, magical, and above all different than anything we are used to. As humans, we relate so much to what our surroundings are and before we can truly understand something we must understand WHERE we are. So perhaps, even subconsiously, we begin to map out what the described sorroundings may be.

To understand a reading that involves geography so much, one must be able to picture some type of mental map in their head.

Mapping can become a way of close reading because the reader is taken an in depth look at the surroundings of the characters. So much about a person involves where they are from that by closing mapping out the location you can learn so much about your heroin or hero.

How people move through cities tells a lot about their character. How he body relates to a city tells a lot about the character. There is a connection between self and city.

Free Write- October 24th

What does social life look like in Rue Jules Verne? How are relationships structured? Mediated?

Rue Jules Verne, as described in the book is a resort place, well an artificial resort. The people who are visiting this city or who live her are of the wealthier group. Gibson writes of families, children, and teenagers all staying there. " Case went on to thteur balconey and watched a trio of tanned French teenagers ride simple hang gliders a few meters above the spray, triangles of nylon in bright primary colors."

However this seems to be more of a free city, or less conservative because Gibson writes if case spotting a teenager hang gliding naked as well. The impression I get of the city is somewhat like a european beach resort. There are grand hotels, wealthy families, and beaches, and many tourists.

"He rode up with an Italian girl in spotless whites, cheekbones and nose daubed with something black and non reflective." this quote gives insight into the way people dress, very sophisticated, clean, and above all expensive. Gibson speaks of visitors sunbathing on the rooftop.

FOLlOW UP QUESTIONS

Why do you thing Armitage took Case and Molly to this city when they so clearly don't fit in?

How are these people different from this in Chiba city?

Free Write - Chapter 8 ZION

Zion is a place of zero gravity.

I know Zion to be Ethiopa, but the book describes Zion as "founded by five workers who refused to return, who turned their back on the well and started  building."

Zion is about thirty years old and is a Colony filled with Rastafarians.

The people of Zion suffer calcium loss and heart shrinkage due to non gravity.

Geographical and Ageographical 

-in the center is a spindle that involves rotational gravity or no gravity at all. Hard to tell

-music pulses constantly through the "cluster." it was worship music

-"Zion smelled of cooked vegetables, humanity and ganja."Zion is a place of zero gravity.

I know Zion to be Ethiopa, but the book describes Zion as "founded by five workers who refused to return, who turned their back on the well and started  building."

Zion is about thirty years old and is a Colony filled with Rastafarians.

The people of Zion suffer calcium loss and heart shrinkage due to non gravity.

Geographical and Ageographical 

-in the center is a spindle that involves rotational gravity or no gravity at all. Hard to tell

-music pulses constantly through the "cluster." it was worship music

-"Zion smelled of cooked vegetables, humanity and ganja."

What does Zion mean, Zion means Holy land
So we know that Zion is a religious place
A city Built on a rebellion or revolt, by founders from Los Angelos.

Where is Zion?

They must travel through space to get to it, seems to be in a dome.

Mapping the Shopping expedition becomes difficult due to the fact that most of this section of the book takes place in the "matrix" or the "sprawl." While Molly recieves the shopping list she enters e spawl to buy the items and Case is abke to see what she is viewing ghrough simstim.

Before entering the spawn, in chapter 3, Case recalls making trips around the world. "He remembered Amsterdam, another room, in the Old City section of the Centrum, buildings centuries old." So the reader now knows from the text they are no longer just in Japan, non longer soley in Chiba City. They speak of traveling to Denmark, Paris, and Italy on shopping trips.

At the end of chapter 6 Armitage calls case and says "We're going to Istanbul."

 When Case and they crew make a trip to Zion, the story becomes much more interesting. Zion is some artificial world with zero gravity in space. In order to go to the city of Zion, Zion meaning "holy place" you must travel through space. Zion is in inhabited by Rastafarian's who built the city over the last 30 years.

Mapping this city is interesting as well and very challenging. The reader must make a lot of infrences when referring to the city because one is not entirely sure of how it looks. We know that there is zero gravity and the city seems to be built inside a bubble, or dome of some sorts. The city is pulsating with music at all times, a religious/ ceremonial music that runs through the "freefall corridor." The freefall corridor is a section of the city, in the center that has zero gravity and is filled with ropes and tubes to climb through with.

Another interesting city where Case and the crew visits is the "Rue Jules Verne." This is an artificial city, made from light and image projections. The sky isn't real, the sunlight is unreal, the sounds aren't real, the foliage, plants, flowers, and water all all computer generated images. "He knew that sunlight was pumped into Lado-Acheson system who two-millimeter armature ran the length of the spindle, that they generated a rotating library of sky effects around it..."

Rue Jules Vern is described as a resort spot, a place where the wealthy come to get tan and enjoy the computer generated sun. Hang gliders and hotel rooftops provide the atmosphere along with meadows, waterfalls, and beaches.