Georg R. Baumann
Inactive
The Luminous Landscape / Michael Reichmann Experience
October 2008, Toronto/Canada
Chapter 1
The ‘Do you have 50 cents please’ girl
1.
The Journey from NW Ireland to Toronto was somewhat exhausting. Flight from Donegal to Dublin, 5 hours wait, then finally boarding Transat 263. Do not choose this airline if you plan to go Canada, trust me, you do not want to experience this. The Canadian Immigration Officer in Dublin stomps on my nervs.
Why do you fly to Toronto?
To take photos.
Why do you want to take photos?
Because I am a photographer.
What do you want to photograph?
I don’t know yet, depends.
Do you have any fire arms or other type of weapons with you?
Yes, my cameras.
Are you being smart Sir?
Some people think so.
Please open your bag.
Sure, which one?
He points to the bag with my Sinar. I open it and his face shows astonishment. Before he can say something I point out that she is really ugly, but makes very good pictures, and also has full automatic fire function, five bullets, ahem frames per second. He then points to my 17 inch macbook pro and asks whether this is a laptop, I am tempted to another smart remark, but just nod my head.
Please open and power it up.
Sure... A picture of G.W. Bush in Ramboo outfit appears, he must laugh and sticks some papers to my passport and wishes me a pleasant flight.
2.
Seat 31K Window. Thanks so much! The last seat in the plane where you can not fully tilt back your seat because the wall is in the way. A two seater. I sit down and observe people’s behaviour while boarding. A giant of a man makes his way down the line. No! Please, not him. A life of fast food and booze oozes out of him, he comes closer, and yeah right, thanks again. Obese is only the first name, but not enough, no, he obviously had plenty of booze, and this body odor, bloody Hell.
I leave the seat and grab a stewardess telling her about my little problem, but the plane is fully booked, no chance to upgrade to clubclass or having another seat. His name is Jim, he is from Manchester UK and starts jabberring about socker, I make sure he understands that I am in no mood for small talk, for the remaining flight that is!
Not long after take off, he gulps down 4 more whiskey and beer, and soon falls asleep. I am squeezed into the corner as comfortable as possible. Listening to Horrowitz playing Bach/Busoni, I think about that trip. I meet with Michael Reichmann for a one on one Training, covering aspects of business, photography and fine art printing. We will spend 5 days together, should be an interesting time.
I spoke with him a few times on the phone and we exchanged emails. He strikes me as an educated pragmatist with a hint of sarcasm, I like that. Later I found out a little more about his background, political sciences, IT Industry, and 50 years photography under his belt. Apart from his wealth of photographic experience, we have something in common, and last not least, don't take life THAT serious altogether. <smile>
The inflight video started, the usual Hollywood Junk, bullets, blood, american heros, yada yada, funny to see snippets while listening to Bach/Busoni. The world is going to down shite creek in financial terms, and more, much more. I am reading the economist and think about the future. I wish more people like Joseph Stiglitz would have a say, this american predator capitalism had no chance to be sustainable, everyone with a brain worth a cup of tea knew that, but the cartells and lobbies were to powerful and had no interest to bring this to a stop. Quarterly results, and nothing else.
Will this ever change?
The Tech Bubble was exactly the same, the Fed and the banks created it, and now the Housing Bubble, again the Fed and the banks, and of course, estate agents, developers, and investors.
125 people have a net worth of 2,000 billion USD today. More than the combined GDP of the 60 poorest countries in this World, representing over one billion people.
How much clearer do people need to see what is wrong?
To a degree it feels surreal, I am starting my own business, invested considerably, and hope to make a living from it, talk about anti cyclic, but hey, what the Hell. I am already successful in my book. This is not about financial success only, it is so much more. A successful man does exactly what he likes doing, and this I do. Photography and Music, the rest will fall into place, a lot of hard work and risks, but eventually will pay fpor all the effort.
3.
Toronto – Limousines and cabs offer their service, I stand in the cab line and wait, people pushing their luggage and wait for a lift. A chap from Pakistan opens the trunk and we drive downtown.
City of Glas.
There is a full moon and Toronto looks peaceful from a distance. Down Jarvis, 200 Dundas East, I tell the driver and he nods.
Horrowitz plays Scriabin, suits the full moon over Toronto just fine.
Roger Burns, a friend of mine from Scotland is in the tiny state of Malawi now. He went there for an entire month to build a crash to help the people. A life changing experience he will call that later. Starving people, poverty beyond comprehension. He wants to go back and get involved building a school, if a child goes to school, they have one meal a day, that’s the deal, the main motivation. Roger asked me to come along on the next trip and shoot photos. I strongly consider this, I could sell prints and give a large chunk of the profits back to the project and do my part this way. If I can succeed with my work, I am able to give something back, and that is the nice part I look forward to.
We arrive at the Hotel and I check into my room. Holy crap, that is a trip back into the 60s, but the price is all right. I finally can light up and open a window looking down onto Dundas Street. I am fairly zonked from the long journey, but mentally not tired.
So I decided to take my camera and walk a while, leave the hotel and turn left onto Dundas Street East. The first thing that strikes me is the amount of people asking me for money. I wonder about the area I am in, and after walking for 3 miles I know where I landed, right on the edge of the crack cocaine scene the City Center Comfort Suites are located. I am a reasonable well build chap, and years of martial arts probably give me a somewhat rough neck SAS type aura <grin> - In fact, Michael took a video from me which would easily classify as SAS assassination sniper training! May be he can post it for me, I do not have broadband available here in the irish outback. –
The area is dangerous, and I decided not to take pictures. Hookers, dope heads, and gangs on the streets, after a while I decide it is best to turn around and walk back into the other direction. Although my camera gear is insured, I do not want to challenge my Luck any further. My friend Eric who lives not far away in Ontario told me later this is the really rough part of Toronto, shootings etc are normality there.
The pulse of cities, to me it is all the same, different yeah, but the bottom line is the same. I am not a city guy, although I used to live in the highest skyscraper in Cologne on the 36th floor, but that was long ago.
4.
Back in the Hotel, I go down to Chasey’s bar to have something to eat. After a steak and some ice cold beer I feel better and step outside for a smoke. The crack heads and beggers perform their evening collection and stop people at the crossing asking them for money. A young girl in a raincoat and shoes with no socks grabs my attention. She must be very early twenties, still nice looking but already showing marks of drug induced early ageing and illness. Her hair is well taken care for, the rest rather not. She appears of somewhat innuit heritage from her facial structure, her hair is colored peroxide blond which gives her a strange look. She has a beautiful smile and voice, I can hear her from a short distance away ‘Do you have 50 cents please?’, she works in sync with the traffic lights. Not once in the past 10 minutes she succeded. She became aware that I observed her and came straight at me. The outside bar area is fenced in, and I stand there with a beer and a smoke.
She smiles at me and the inevitable ‘do you have 50 cents please’ echos through the night. I tell her that she is too nice to piss her life away and give her 20 dollars. She probably bought a hit straight away. This is the edge of the society, people with Tommy Hilfinger bags in expensive suits, and children with no socks on dope, all pass by the same traffic light, day by day.
I go back inside and get invited for drinks by some business women, no, not that business, they are on business travels. We chat away for an hour or so and I am getting tired, ready to hit the silk. I am not really listening to their conversation, the 50 cents girl is still on my mind and their small talk feels senseless, boring.
I meet Michael tomorrow for a hike, one guy cancelled a training, and he has some time already. Good idea to get known to eachother before we start working.
tbc.
P.S.
If you guys are interested, I am going to post a little more about that in the coming days, but the entire thing will be posted on my own website by the end of this year.
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