Francis GroganW 118th St between Lenox Ave and 5th AveHeart Four · Location 424 · Drawn July 2004Download photograph 1Download photograph 2Download photograph 3Download photograph 4Download photograph 5Download photograph 6Download photograph 7Download photograph 8Download photograph 9Video podcast0:00On the northeast corner of West 118th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard is the Malcolm Pharmacy.0:06On the wall facing onto 118th, there used to be a blank space between the display windows for the pharmacy0:13and the large windows for the Arthur R. Dove multi-specialty practice.0:18As of spring 2006, this blank space has been filled with a framed metal rectangle for placing advertisements.0:28This is Reverend Francis Grogan.0:31He was drawn in July of 2004.0:35His drawing is counting one person.0:39Can you describe the process of making the drawing?0:41That's actually one thing we haven't talked about,0:43the actual sort of physical process of taking the tape0:46and turning it into a line drawing.0:48Most people don't think of tape as a drawing medium, you know?0:51The actual physical act of it is great.0:57It's very relaxing.1:00Under these circumstances, it's a little stressful,1:03but you have a roll of tape, standard.1:06We use primarily a one-inch roll to represent most people.1:10One inch being the thickness of the line1:12that is the boundary of their outline.1:15And you pull a stretch of tape off of that roll1:19as far as you can, which is usually about a four-foot line,1:23and break it off from the roll.1:24So you now have a loose, flat piece of clay, essentially.1:30Thin as thin as clay, and using your thumb, you're pressing it to the wall.1:35So it's the pressure of your thumbs and your body slowly manipulating and massaging the tape onto the surfaces that you're working on.1:44And the experience changes for every single surface because your fingers are sliding around on the surface,1:50And you really have a genuine, genuine feel for the texture of the canvas you're making1:57your work on.1:59I have to say that the actual process of applying the tape is one of the most ergonomically2:05satisfying activities.2:08[unclear] to, standing, kneeling, squatting, pressing.2:13You can just do this day in and day out and never feel any wear and tear on your hands2:17or your body.2:18Sounds very physical.2:19It is. It's very, very, very physical.2:22You return to your roll about four or five times during the course of a drawing.2:28That's that nice zipping, ripping, hissing snake noise as the tape flies off the roll.2:34Do you have any tape with us? Do you want to demonstrate that sound?2:36We've got a three-quarter roll. It's not as throaty as a one-inch,2:39but it'll at least give you a sense of the sound.2:42and that was the sound of three feet coming off a roll. That's the sound of2:50another three and a half feet coming off the roll. At the end of the day that's2:55the only sound you really hear. You hear that and the rest of it's all just2:59traffic and people yelling at you or hopefully just traffic.3:04He spent the rest of his days sewing peace as a chaplain, a teacher, and a parish priest.3:09His approach to life was, don't sweat the small stuff, he said.3:14You could witness this tendency in his clothes.3:17More than once he showed up for chapel in his bedroom slippers.3:21He served as a sonar expert.← Location 423Heart Four · Location 424Location 425 →
