In 2023 I was working as a stagehand at a music venue called Caramoor Center for the Music and Arts and worked a variety of jobs as a freelance audio engineer. In late September I had a week deinstalling the lighting and sound system at Caramoor followed by a week in Nyack doing sound for a musical. To cut down in travel time (Caramoor is in upper Westchester and Nyack in Rockland county) while I was living in Brooklyn, I stayed in a guest house called the Gifford at Caramoor for the first week (along with two other coworkers) then at a friend's dorm room's couch for the second week. We would work in the day and at night me and my coworker Zach Vogel would record us and our manager Valerie Whitney play improvised music together. After a week at Caramoor I went to work in Nyack with my friend Emma Armus doing sound for a musical that was held outside a nunnery. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
While all these beautiful and exciting things were happening I was feeling extremely hopeless and lost. When one feels hopeless and lost ruminating on the little things of joy and beauty becomes much more important.This desire for little things progressed until I became obsessed with an idea of freezing time. Keeping every little thing frozen so if I wanted I could call upon them whenever I needed them. This project is somewhat a document of me trying to freeze for 2 weeks. Here are some pieces of that attempt.
My setup for the performances. Tiny sampler into Korg monosynth into Korg delay.
Loading bay at Caramoor where I worked and then recorded the first week of this project
Emma Armus singing and playing guitar through the 4 channel system we were using for the musical we were doing sound for.
Inside the theater of Caramoor where I was deinstalling the lighting and sound system.
The room I was staying in at Caramoor. The place I was staying was called the Gifford after the donor who provided the accommodation.
This was the nunnery I was working at the second week of this project in Nyack. I was doing sound with my friend Emma Armus for a musical set outside. Every morning we would find that animals had found there way into the sound equipment. Deer walking right over our XLR cables.
Caramoor at the Italian Pavilion where we recorded 2 performances. Zach Vogel on guitar and our manager Valerie Whitney on upright bass.
My Mouth
Emerson Borakove. I do not like this photo of myself but that doesn't matter. It is what I looked like
Emerson Borakove. I do not like this photo of myself but that doesn't matter. It is what I looked like
Kitchen in the Gifford. There was canned tuna here which was the base for every dinner I ate that first week.
One of the paths around Caramoor.
Hallway in the Gifford.
Fire Hydrant at Caramoor
Door to Gifford
Sculpture at Caramoor through the trees. First came to Caramoor as a sculpture student.
Barn at the nunnery in Nyack. Some of the performances occured in here due to rain.
One of the paths around Caramoor.
These pots I never saw have any plants after working at Caramoor a little over a year.
Shrine to Mary at the nunnery. Was hidden behind plants.
Drill I used in Caramoor to disassemble chair rails.
Glued a number of photos I took to some cardboard.
Photo taken the day after taking photos of the polaroids.