Spinning In Place
Dayv Jones - 2011, 6:43, Digital8, San Francisco
Spinning in Place is a video in three acts. The first is a collection of 365 shots of the corner of 16th and Guerrero in San Francisco taken a degree apart, one shot a day from May 2002 through April 2003. The second is a shot from each corner of 24th and Mission of a cut out bird on a wire shot in 2008. The third is a single shot of pigeons circling over the same intersection shot in 2011. All original footage is shot on a Digital8 camera using in camera effects and filters while shooting.
Dayv Jones is a bi-coastal cable access producer and long time ATA volunteer staff. He works almost exclusively with Hi8/Digital 8 cameras- creating imagery reminiscent of the in-between wake and sleep state of consciousness through the use of in camera effects, filters, and recycling imagery by shooting monitors.
Questions & Answers
ATA: The bulk of the video takes place at the intersection of 16th & Guerrero. How did this lucky corner get chosen?
DJ: Well when the project started I lived on Guerrero between 16th and 17th so it was just convenience. That apartment burned down during the year of video taping that corner, the day with the fire engine full screen, but continued project after fire and my move across the mission.
ATA: How did you go about accumulating all 365 shots -- was it a daily activity? Did you have any interesting human encounters during the process?
DJ: Yes it was a daily activity, well for the most part. I occasionally took one shot just before and one just after midnight, and may have also taken two shots in a day once or twice. Oh and I did go on vacation in June and took two shots a day for the week before or after, hence the two shots of the dyke march. It was so long ago its hard to remember particular encounters, I got some questions about what I was doing and a comment from a bar tender at the Elixer who was impressed that i kept coming to shoot every day. I also had a couple of friends who were happening by while i was shooting and found their way into shots. I mostly remember the timing of getting my shot set, waiting for traffic to clear, running to the day's spot, shooting for six seconds, and running back to safety before the next wave of cars. While i was shooting the bird on a wire segment a woman asked me directions to the Roxie, i was thinking about including our whole conversation in the credits.
ATA: I know that you've been working on an archive of ATV, ATA's legendary cable-access television program that's been going on for more than 20 years now. How is that coming along?
DJ: Well its kind of on hiatus for the moment as I finish school, but with some volunteer help the digitizing process may start soon and these treasures will slowly become available via the internet archive.
ATA: Is there anything I should have asked you or anything else you'd like to let us know?
DJ: Im so bad at this sort of thing and your questions seemed good, but i like chocolate and pizza- not together that actually sounds kinda gross.
Q&A by Liz Wing
