Felipe Rodríguez G.

Let’s start this by assuming that we are unable to listen.

ART I AM NOT MAKING.

U LO VE ART. AND THAT’S FINE.
This is a preface!
 Felipe Rodríguez G.

January 1st of 2013

I’m done. The last thing I remember was around 3 in the morning, I was woken up by a CTA worker, and asked to leave the train.

I went home and was sick for 5 days, and stayed in bed for 5 more. I force myself to go and work. I pushed myself. But I

couldn’t. Somehow when you are not working people start to think theres something wrong with you.

April 5th of 2013

A friend send me this quote for no reason: “Why and how does who say what to whom and with what effect?” The same month I found

out it was in a musicology essay by Phillip Tagg, and then I found out it was originally by Harold Lasswell from a comment

he made on communications.

March 7th of 2013

I felt bad for having no work to talk about during a conversation with some artist.

March 12th of 2013

I discovered that I no longer like John Cage. And I remained quiet in my history class about him. I refuse to write bad

things about a dead person.

April 23rd of 2013

I started to build a table for a piece I was not going to show. I tough what possible harm can one table less do

when no body is listening any way?

February 9th of 2013

I was at my friend’s house and I was asked by his artist friend if I was a sound artist as well. I replied yes, and she

asked me what kind of art I make. I talked about midget art for the rest of the night. She said it was ok but I should

replace the word midget with little people, she said that some one might get offended. Next week I went to an art party

and talked about the same thing. No one was insulted.

March 5th of 2013

I felt that the compulsive production that the education of art is based around was making me unhappy. At the be-

ginning of the semester I was committed to downshifting my production of sound. Now I was committed to downshifting

my production of art. I started to think art shouldn’t be a productive activity. I started feeling like some sort of

disappointment for my environment.

March 24th of 2013

A friend came to visit me to Chicago. I told her that I heard some people talking about post-colonialism in

Chicago, she told me that there was not such a thing. I told her I was not familiar with any of it. She told me

that we still live in a colonized era.

April 21th of 2013

I went to a Communist party lecture I don’t remember well, to be able to get free lunch. I felt bad for my self. I thought

I was taking advantage of the Capitalist system of The US, but I realize that day it was the other way around-- it had

me living in destitution.

April 22th of 2013

I quit Ramen.

March 13th of 2013

I learned that MFAs are for old people.

November 19th of 2012

I had to move because I couldn’t take the amount of noise that surround me. I was upset when I pointed the issue out.

People thought it was an interesting topic to discuss and theorize, not an important issue.

October 26th of 2012

I was confused by the fact that one professor said to an student “I would like your piece to sound more like crickets.”
 Felipe Rodríguez G.

April 22nd of 2013

I was completely confused by life.

April 3rd of 2013

I realized every week I was coming up with a piece I was never going to make. I also realized most of the time I was talking

about it with someone who was not listening. I also realize it become a problem for me because I was starting to hide from peo-

ple, and when that was not possible become apologetic, because they never listen. They always ask “how is your piece going?”.

March 13th of 2013

I remember my friend saying he wanted to make a public piece about destroying something public. I really liked the idea.

Suddenly art can only be nice, and suddenly we live in a community in Chicago, and suddenly everybody in Chicago cares.

So suddenly I thought they should keep art locked inside galleries and museums.

March 28th of 2013

I was supposed to go to several artist’s studios and lie about pieces I made up while video taping. I failed.

April 1st of 2013

I got some Ph soil tabs for a piece and lost the instructions on how to use them.

February 3rd of 2013

I told my friend he was my brother.

April 6th of 2013

I thought about how a discussion works. First there is no listening. Second, there is no consideration of “Why and how

does who say what to whom and with what effect?” Third, you defend the thing you believe in.

December 20th of 2013

I thought that artists should not defend artists, that’s what friends do.

April 24th of 2013

My friend told me some things leave you in a huge state of nihilism.

February 18th of 2013

I decided I wanted to genetically modify a plant so I could improve its listening abilities. I failed. Because first, I

didn’t know what I was talking about and second, I don’t have any biology skills.

March 27th of 2013

I wanted to make a piece that mixed art with the rest of the city, Then I downgraded the project to just the Latino

community and then I shifted to something else.

April 20th of 2013

I made a recording of a man talking about of all the sounds in his work environment.

April 24th of 2013

I said to my friend in NY that I was happy to talk with him again and that I was ready to stop being an asshole to him.

(In 2012 I destroyed the door of his studio and threw a party inside).

February 8th of 2013

One good friend disappeared from my life and quit art to became a marathoner. I heard that he is a very happy person

now. I am very happy for him and I don’t want to see him again for now. I always ask how he is.

April 12th of 2013

I thought that in order to have an horizontal conversation you cannot be part of an institution. Institutions make peo-

ple dependent and scare. I hear one friend saying he wants to be a professor, another saying he doesn’t want to depend

on a part time job.

 Felipe Rodríguez G.

I was forced to write about mechanical reproduction, but first I have to say that there were other

options to write about. But I don't remember, and at that time I didn't care, so I didn't have a

choice. I wrote things like " " and " " but I really did not care. It was a dark place, literally a dark

place at 9am. I read but I didn't care. And it was so painful to go there and listen to people's forced

conversations and arguments; I didn't understand. I think, they just didn't have an opinion. It's

funny that there is no longer room to write just one paragraph. I wonder what is that thing that

someone has to write that some other has to read. I came all the way here after several years of

being imposed with English as my second language, and suddenly everybody is speaking French

here in the United States, and I thoughT the French hated people from the United States. I guess

generalizations are always bad. But again you call yourselves "Americans"(1).

I was forced to write about mechanical reproduction, but first I have to say that there were other

options to write about. But I don't remember, and at that time I didn't care, so I didn't have a

choice. I wrote things like " " and " " but I really did not care. It was a dark place, literally a dark

place at 9am. I read but I didn't care. And it was so painful to go there and listen to people's forced

conversations and arguments; I didn't understand. I think, they just didn't have an opinion. It's

funny that there is no longer room to write just one paragraph. I wonder what is that thing that

someone has to write that some other has to read. I came all the way here after several years of

being imposed with English as my second language, and suddenly everybody is speaking French

here in the United States, and I thoughT the French hated people from the United States. I guess

generalizations are always bad. But again you call yourselves "Americans"(2).

I was forced to
to have
writea about mechanical
part time reproduction,
job to exist as an artist but first I have to say that there were other

options to write
I don’t know how Iabout. But I don't remember, and at that time I didn't care, so I didn't have a
got here

choice. II hate
wrote things like " " and "an" but I really
artist didcard
business notorcare. It was
an art a dark
statement place, literally a dark
workshop

place at 9am. I read but I didn't care. And it was so painful toi goused
there and one
to have listen
of to people's
each. listen forced

conversations and arguments; I didn't understand. I think, they just didn't have an opinion. It's

funny
a part that
time there
job is no longer room to write
an option just onefor
to me. paragraph.
me my art practice is not sustainable

I wonder what is that thing that someone has to write that some other has to read. I came all the

way here after several years of being imposed with English as my second language, and suddenly
I am

everybody is speaking French here in the United States, and I thoughT the French hated people from

the United States. I guess generalizations are always bad. But again you call yourselves "Americans"(2).
Artist (3)
 Felipe Rodríguez G.

(1) American adj.

1   Of America.

2   Person from America*

3  Of United States (Country of the north of America).

4  Person that is from the United States

*America is the second biggest continent on the planet

It is composed of 35 countries:

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile,

Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gre-

nada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua,

Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Suriname, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela (other territories such as Puerto Rico are not

listed as countries because they are dependent territories of America, which means they are

part of or subjected to another country).

(2)

A: How are you liking being in America?

F: Good, is a great experience. I’m getting tougher! Every day!

A: So you want to stay here?

F: No, I think I will go somewhere else or back home.

A: Why?

F: There is no freedom here. I kind of miss that.

(3) Money is right.

I mean the customer is always right.

As long as he pays.

Education.

You’re welcome.
 Felipe Rodríguez G.

I don ’ t like to fight and I don ’ t like the way things are .
 Felipe Rodríguez G.

I get annoyed all the time by the fact that the capital i and the lowercase “L” look the same way. I

also have to refer to myself in a very capital way all the time. It’s never easy(4).

l’m here. I used a lowercase L for i.

(are we communicating? )

(4) I miss us
 Felipe Rodríguez G.

Why do I think that wrong things are wrong if i don’t think they are wrong?

i say no

He said no

so then i still think no

but I had to make it happen anyway.

 Felipe Rodríguez G.

i’m not arrogant but i have to stick with failure.

Yes, i knew it was going to fail, and it was not funny. But i was

there waiting for something that was not going to happened. First

i thought, “well, I can just back up, and not waste all this time and

energy,” but i just couldn’t let it go. i believe(5).

(5) To believe is to fail

Y: you know they are gonna make you do it?

F: Yes I know. i mean, I know.

F: I don’t like to fight and i don’t like the way things are.
 Felipe Rodríguez G.

i am disappointed.

i have no time(6)

i have no life

(6)

April 1: All the time i waste working i cannot replace with

all the money i make!
 Felipe Rodríguez G.

(7)

"If you teach to survive please don't teach

If you teach because you like it please don't teach.

Is not you.

What is it? "

 Felipe Rodríguez G.

(8)

(8)

“we accept the

love we think

we deserve”

-matémonos.1

Natalia Becerra, 2012

1