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This is an aside titled 'People Who Live in Malls' dated 8/19/08

Lisa Selin Davis has a story in Salon about the couple who lived in the Providence Mall (It was covered extensively on the blogs last year. See Ballardian and the artists’ website here.) The couple Michael Townsend and Adriana Yoto crafted a secret apartment inside the massive Rt 95 eyesore. “The mall adventure was to last a week; it went on for four years. If Townsend hadn’t been nabbed by security and charged with criminal trespassing last October, they’d still be camping out there today.” Davis smartly compares their experience to the $1m+ Natick Mall luxury condos just a few miles north in suburban Boston (I’ve been meaning to write a post about the hilarious pseudo-poshness of the “Natick Collection” — its ant farm like freeway chaos and American-travels-the-Continent decor. Eventually.) Of course JG Ballard and Romero allusions can be made, but what I think is interesting is that most science fiction visions of futuristic architecture tend to imagine a massive space — a city or multiple cities — enclosed. (Usually for the purpose of some nuclear disaster or space colony.) Is this a subconscious projection of the shopping mall of the future by the authors? A claustrophobic vision or one of a comforting incubator?

Posted by Joanne on Aug. 19, 2008

4 Responses to “People Who Live in Malls”

Posted by: Rex - 08/19/2008

I lived above a mall in Grand Forks, ND for a year. I wrote a screenplay about it called “Face the Muzak.” It was horrible.
Posted by: D.C. al Fine - 08/19/2008

How nice to have someone you can look down upon, dear Joanne! It must not happen often.
Posted by: Joanne McNeil - 08/20/2008

“D.C. al Fine” is Frederick Coburn, the Natick, Massachusetts School Committee member (uncontested race, natch) Evidently “Dirk Coburn” takes pent-up road rage out on Natick-related forums. Read about him here: http://natick.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/perversion-on-the-school-committee/
Posted by: dave - 08/20/2008

Thanks for letting the readers know about Dirk Coburn’s online trolling. And thanks for the link too!

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Asides
- From Mashable: "a 19-year-old user of the online live-streaming video service Justin.TV has apparently commit suicide in front of an audience of fellow forum dwellers egging him on during the process." Tragic. Most disturbing are the screen captures of a cop entering his room that morning while the chat forum participants are still incapable of taking the situation seriously ("Zomg!" "Lol!") If anyone can be a celebrity, everyone has an opportunity to be Christine Chubbuck.
- Jerry Brito, who designed this site, was just on CNN talking about midnight regulations.
- L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz was commentary on agriculture and the debate between gold, silver, and the dollar standard. "The Scarecrow portrays the American farmer, while the Tin Man represents the workers, and the Cowardly Lion depicts William Jennings Bryan...in the original story Dorothy’s slippers were made of silver, not ruby, implying that silver was the Populists’ solution to the nation’s economic woes. Meanwhile, the Yellow Brick Road was the gold standard, and Toto (Dorothy’s faithful dog) represented the Prohibitionists, who were an important part of the silverite coalition. The Wicked Witch of the West symbolizes President William McKinley; and the Wizard is Mark Hanna, who was the chairman of the Republican Party and made promises that he could not keep." - Jeffrey Saut (via.)
- Typealyzer says the author of this blog is a strong INTP. (via.)
- Britney Spears contemplates.
- School of Seven Bells opened for M83 last night. They are wonderful! (Music: Half Asleep, Connjur, I am under no disguise)
- Photographer Ben Westwood (Vivienne Westwood's son) on how his craft "becomes the background, like wallpaper" (via.)
- Street with a view: "May 3rd 2008, artists Robin Hewlett and Ben Kinsley invited the Google Inc. Street View team and residents of Pittsburgh’s Northside to collaborate on a series of tableaux along Sampsonia Way. Neighbors, and other participants from around the city, staged scenes ranging from a parade and a marathon, to a garage band practice, a seventeenth century sword fight, a heroic rescue and much more." (via.)
- "Anyone who has played D&D has spent a lot of time talking about race – 'Racial Attributes,' 'Racial Restrictions,' 'Racial Bonuses.' Everyone knows that different races don’t get along – thanks to Tolkien, Dwarves and Elves tend to distrust each other, and even non-gamers know that Orcs and Goblins are, by their very nature, evil creatures. Race is one of the most important aspects of any fantasy role-playing game, and the belief that there are certain inherent genetic and social distinctions between different races is built into every level of most (if not all) Fantasy Role-Playing Game" - Race in Dungeons and Dragons. (via.)
- Porter Square's Spark Craft Studios is handing over their small business to the winner of an essay contest. Says the crafting boutique/instruction studio: "The winner will receive the contents of the store at the time of the transfer, including store fixtures and furnishings, exterior signage, the point-of-sale system, a modest inventory, and the website. Please note: We believe the store requires an infusion of capital for additional inventory to be successful."
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