Wednesday 6 February 2013

Field Study's Man in E17 on a tale of two Cazenoves





Madame Lillie - Cazenove Rd, N16. 4th February 2013.


About 8 years ago I was tasked with a job of going to Cazenove Road to pick and collect some (unwanted) apples from a tree in someones garden. I duly drove to Cazenove Road N16 and knocked on the door of the house whose number I was given. A very confused conversation ensued with the occupant of no. ?, Cazenove Rd, N16. It took a surprisingly long time for me to twig (for an apple to drop) that I had mistaken Cazenove Rd, N16 for Cazenove Rd, E17. My embarrassing ineptitude swelled up in me as bright red as an apple. I apologized to the disturbed and mystified resident of Stoke Newington and left tout de suite and finally arrived at Cazenove Rd, E17 quite a lot later than arranged.

I have discovered some other confused Cazenoves though I think it would be unwise for me to provide any links to the misaligned maps and addresses because I am reserving 'embarrassing ineptitude' for myself. However I felt some redemption for the error of my way to Cazenove Rd, N16.

Two days ago I was back in Cazenove Rd, N16 and it was most definitely where I was supposed to be. It was then (in February 2013) that I remembered something not at all embarrassing about Cazenove Rd - that something being the occasion of a Field Study performance as part of the project, Splendid Lights. held at Madame Lillie's in 1996 - a venue which seemed to be closed down on 4th February 2013.

The text in the 'Splendid Lights' blog post link states that 'Madame Lillie' was on Stoke Newington Church St which, unless Madame Lillie moved between 1996 and 2013, is probably mistaken. This is further evidence of the E17 field student's dubious sense of place and psycho-navigational skill.




2 comments:

  1. Oh dear, it seems as if I have upset 'Field Study's Man in E17' by besmirching his psycho-navigational skills. He has asked me to publish this memo' passed from the right hand lobe to the left hand lobe this morning, during a fall from a bicycle on a particularly icy patch of Hackney Marsh.

    - to: Lost and Found in E17/N16
    - from: Field Study's Man in N16/E17
    - subject: dubious psycho navigational skills.

    Dubious! Dubious? What do you mean, 'dubious'? 'A Tale of Two Cazenoves' recalls, if I am not mistaken, an exemplary and quintessential act of psycho-navigation - the substitution of an address of one post code with the near same address of another or different post code. I might remind you it is common psycho-geographical practice to navigate a city with the map/street plan of another city - and thus turning up at the wrong Cazenove Rd was a stroke of pure psycho geographic genius, though I say it myself! I am compelled to recount that even when I heard the apple dropping in E17 I insisted and continued to impose upon the hapless N16 Stoke Newington-ite that I was in the right place and that he did have an apple tree in his garden.
    I am appalled at the lack of insight expressed by your post, you,you dullard you. You should consider yourself fortunate that I did not practice the full extent of my Situationist 'skills' and make a full blown doorstep fist fight of the encounter.
    Just what is it you think you are doing?

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    Replies
    1. Sorry, Field Study's Man in E17, but I thought you wrote that post.

      If I might hazard to question your 'genius', how does appropriating a 'common' or conventional act - substituting one map/area for another - constitute an act of 'pure psycho geographic genius'? I would reserve such aggrandizement for more innovative practice.

      I am very concerned about the matter (albeit immaterial or unmaterial) of door step fist fighting with 'hapless' strangers minding their own business in their homes. I'm sure this is just macho posturing however, please don't even think about it.

      LaFiE17

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