Original site for a sofa. . .

Sitting on the sofa watching television. . . A mundane and very usual activity I would think rarely deserving of the terms artistic or bizarre. More likely to be described as a boring and wasteful use of time (though perhaps occasionally a useful relaxation strategy) this was the last thing I expected to do in the middle of a walk with my dog Smartie. Having no lectures to attend that day and no rain thundering from the sky I accepted the offer from Nick to walk the couple of fields that separate his to my house. This Wednesday walk was to be of a far more dynamic nature than my usual stroll. Soon after setting off I found myself noting the following. . .
The television was blank, the lamp not lit, the walls and roof of a house quite absent, an unusual setting for three students to find themselves in. Sitting there drenched in a dressing gown trying to control the sporadic movements of Smartie I considered how pleasant (as well as hilarious) it was to be comfortably seated on a sofa in the middle of a field. Having successfully incorporated Smarties walk with helping Nick's Dfsa group film their project I stared at the blank screen taking in the fresh air and realizing the sheer lack of invasive noise, a quality absent when watching an active television. The wind in the trees and the occasional chirp from the birds comforted rather than distressed the experience.

The project required the stillness of Bobby, Alex and I as we, amongst the set, portrayed an important part of the project derived from the theme Time and Space. The careful filming by Nick as he walked slowly around our new living room allowed the camera to take in the set. Meanwhile Alex (a novice to country living) feared for our lives, imagining the farmer running at us with a shotgun for the non acquisition of permission. I assured Alex of my confidence that anyone (including the farmer) noticing us and our field based living room would surely assume madness and leave well alone, particularly as Alex was sat wrapped in a bin liner and all our faces were covered. Bobby (less fearful of a murderous farmer) then drifted off to sleep as a calmer Alex helped to direct the camera movements. I felt absolute relaxation taking a hold of me, quite unlike that which I find in front of the television at home. As I sat in this bizarre and hilarious situation I pondered the film I was helping to create. The group were looking at the use of space and the spending of time. They feature time as a commodity and the film looks at how different types of people use this commodity. It was interesting to see how at peace we all were once the shooting had been accomplished. Cigarettes were smoked and none of us felt compelled to quit the scene we had created. It was as if we had found the perfect space to unwind and did not want it to end. This did tie in with our lack of interest in lugging the props back to Nicks house!
Querying the qualifications of well used time, wasted time and the distinctions between the two I wonder. . .Is sitting, watching television a waste of time? Is sitting in the middle of a field with a turned off television an even bigger waste of time? Neither necessarily merit any further activities of use but the latter certainly provoked more thoughts in my mind and a clearer head than the first ever does for me. . .