TrIP Blog Day 14: The Sensory Space of a Bus by Dina Mack #TrIP_Orlando #publictransportation #publicart

 

I took the TrIP on a rainy, Sunday afternoon. Before then, I never rode the bus in Orlando. When I lived in Vienna, Virginia, I rode the bus and Metro, daily, for seven years—it felt exhausting. Growing up, I rode a school bus every day. I also went to summer camp and got to “ride the yellow bus, going down the road to The Vatra. Romanian Vatra.” (sung to the tune of Petticoat Junction). Plus I took a few Greyhound bus trips here and there. I was a late-blooming-driver, getting my license at age 27.  

 

I share this because our views and responses to public transportation are unique. They’re shaped by memories, experiences, and personal situations. That is my public service announcement.

 

Get in your car. Get on your bike. Get on the bus.

 

Having not heard anyone say “I’m going to hop in my bus and head to the store,” I’ve been thinking about the “in” and “on” and the “the” and “your” terms that coincide with these transportation modes. I may incorporate this into my TrIP work(s).

 

 

The sensory space of a bus.

 

The route I picked, #23: antiseptic cleaner, post-smokers, hair gel, ring bell, a bright fluorescent light, wet umbrellas, the scratch of pen, book pages, a mint. How does this vessel differ from my car? The windows stay shut. I ring a bell to depart. I daydream more. I took tons of photos during my TrIP—the bell chord, the fluorescent light, and the reflected highway lines most captured my interest. I may touch on this too in my TrIP work(s).

 

 

The riding from, the walking to, and the waiting for.

 

I’ve explored the spaces between events, the pauses, in previous work. This may resurface via my TrIP work(s).

 

I haven’t determined the final mediums for the work: potentially painting, installation or a combination of things.

 

***************

 

Dina Mack is influenced by experiences that are “quiet, personal, fragile, and beautifully imperfect.” Documentation or research related to sensory effects and rituals are a part of her work. She has exhibited locally and internationally and her work can be found in a variety of public and private collections. More at Dina Mack and Destination Journal.