Satellite

The Satellite

Deep in the Hill Country woodlands, red-tailed hawks circle high above the parched earth below. Patches of yellow waterless buffalo grass grow in separated tufts. A single cactus wilts, shaded by a live oak tree. Smells of cedar sap and dust waft in the crisp, dry air. Squirrels and small birds migrate from cedar to oak, in a continuous search for sustenance. The birds chirp and the trees rustle with the occasional warm gust of air. The natural sounds are interrupted at irregular intervals by a regular procession of light traffic on a nearby ranch-to-market road.

In the midst of this scenic woodland grove stands an out of commission, off white, 10 foot wide satellite dish. A large, rusting, cylindrical beam emerges from a four foot square plot of cement surrounded by thirsty soil. The pole, tinted green, rises six feet to the rusted chassis that hold the large satellite dish. The concave dish slopes gradually inward, facing the heavens above. The dish is streaked with oak pollen and dirt and at the bottom of its curve, cedar and oak foliage have slowly accumulated. At its centermost point, a rectangular steel bar runs perpendicular to the dish. On top of this white, painted bar rests the receiver of the satellite, a cylindrical cup with circumscribed, two-inch rings that directly face the dish’s center. The receiver is tuned to pick up radio waves reflected off the dish below. The receiver captures, or once did, radio waves from 5.63 gigahertz to 5.85 gigahertz, for transmission through insulated copper wire, which dangles freely. It has been unconnected for years.

The dish marks the edge of suburbia and nature. It was built by an amateur radio operator in 1991. It was placed at the edge of forty acres of untouched hill country, very near the border of Travis and Hays County. It was on the frontier of an expanding city, relaying messages from the “frontiersman” to the rest of the world. It weathered and aged as suburbia crept further and further. It paid no heed to the asphalt that was laid, the houses that were built, or the woods that gave way to lawns. It ignored the telephone poles shoved five feet into earth, the fences planted to divide plots of dirt. It didn’t notice the animals pushed back by the march of human development; the habitats destroyed or the air polluted by increased traffic. The satellite dish sat unused, watching that cancerous unrestrained tumor, the human race. Unaffected and unconcerned the satellite stood as it stands today.

The satellite dish stands still, absorbing the waves that careen through the atmosphere. It gazes at the cosmos, receiving information sent from satellites orbiting the earth at breakneck paces. It observes the heavens: the orbits of the planets, the death of stars, the constant expansion of the universe. It remains motionless as starlight from galaxies far beyond the Milky Way bounces off its patient bowl. It listens and watches; it experiences, but relays those experiences to no one. Alone in the woods it waits. As gusts push the world around it, it stands firm. Facing skyward, rooted in earth.

The Rain

Sheets of rain fall on the thirsty soil. Open mouthed the cracked earth gorges itself. Raindrops smear the dust covered rocks underfoot. Dark clouds pour themselves on oaks and cedars. The rain brings new.

The rain stole the crisp air from the woods. The once sturdy soil caves in with any pressure. The muddy dirt surrounds, it stains, it smears, it streaks. It leaves memories and filth. The rain changes and destroys.

The satellite still stands, its surface altered. Clouds block the dishes view of the heavens. It loses its way, forgets its place in the cosmos. A puddle accumulates, weighing down the satellite. The satellite fears the new.

The satellite shifts with the soil it stands on. New thoughts, views, and understandings flurry in the clouds above the satellite. It hears the sounds of life as the woodlands wake from the sleep of survival. Six feet above the earth below the satellite welcomes the new day.

The rain must destroy to create. The satellite must change to understand.

Hit the orange play button on the soundcloud plugin, then click the youtube video.

Flower in the Neon (an Original)

Notes:

The the beginning of the song was created to symbolize Thoreau's train. The mood of the second video is designed to the emulate the invasive aspect of human civilization.Further, the slides depict the destruction that is creation.

The song in the first video is Of Japan by Port Blue.

The graffiti is a work in progress by Alejandro Kerrigan (and me to some degree).