action/reaction
Constant Motion is a
documentation of the artist's Beckettian efforts to understand the migrant issues.
The Journey
Bread crumb is my currency, a form of calories for the body and an unreliable trace to lead the way. I had approximately 18 to 20 gallons of bread crumb in store. I separated it in two bags — one hollow out backpack and the other, an airline carry-on size duffle bag. The planned route is 1.2 miles long one way and it took me 22 to 23 minutes to walk that distance without weight. The 2-inch burst seam on one side of the bag served the purposed leakage. I put some dock tape over the seam to prevent further splitting. It took 12 minutes 16 seconds to empty out the whole bag of bread crumbs. With two full bags of supply, I might have enough to cover the desired distance.
If it does not go well, it will set me back another month to produce enough bread crumb to repeat walk. When winter comes, the snow will certainly make this attempt harder. Time is not on my side.
After a long day’s rain, the night was clear. I picked up the backpack and the duffle bag. The weight made me stagger. The bags were so pregnant with bread crumbs that I had a hard time carrying the bags. I wished for serendipity; yet in the 10 minutes down the road, the bagpack fell apart and I lost whole bag of bread crumbs, then my flashlight flickered and went dark.
It was far from the midpoint of my planned route and I already lost half of my possesion. I jiggled the flashlight back to life. I had to make use of whatever left now. The flashlight failed again. I stopped and shook the flashlight suspecting bad connection. I stopped on the road trying to figure out why nothing worked and what would take me to the end. There was a person passing by in a caar. They doubled back to take a slow scan of me. I threw them a weak smile fearing they might report me to the authority and I might be arrested and spent the night in jail. I pretended to fuss on the flashlight and cell phone to hide my anxiety. They drove away reluctantly not wanting to engage. I worried the police sirens would soon appear and I had to run for cover. I gave up on the electronics and dashed down the road. I did not advance too far before the content of my duffle bag gone empty. Out of desperation, I spent too fast. I almost reached the mid point of my plan. Without bread crumb, I would not continue the journey. I had to turn back following the bread crumbs. Maybe next time, with better planning, I will make it.
