- LITTLE ODESSA

Friday February 26 1:30am. New York Island.
FROM REALITY TO FANTASY

Eidothea had a pale face all day. At midnight she said: Fast, gather both of you and get ready cause the snow storm is near and the city will finally sleep and be quiet. That is when they shall

all be here. There is a great catastrophe to arrive soon. Gaia (Earth) has a sudden sickness. They shall meet in this island, close to Brighton Beach at the location called "Little Odessa" to decide who will be sent at each coast all around earth to protect the mortals.

The Lady of the seas who travels with her ship wreck and protects the souls of the underwater world shall arrive as well. You have to meet with her for she will give you the information where the map is hidden.

Garia packed her camera and run out fast.
Maria got a coat for both of them.

No sign of them around. Just a girl, the empty stoop Garia loves, a man on a bicycle.

and suddenly two charmingly strange looking men appeared.
They looked at her and said: walk towards east and you will see an array of cars on the street out of nowhere. Follow those cars.They will lead you to "Little Odessa".

Next morning she woke up alone. All she could remember was taking the last photo and then all those car lights that blinded her. Where are they both? Where is Eidothea? Where is Maria?
What happened? Why the Gods were all meeting in the island? Why is Gaia (Earth) sick? What catastrophe is about to arrive?
She looked from the window and took the last shot of the roll.

All Fotos by Garia August

Saturday February 27 3:34am. Robinson Crusoe Island.
REAL NEWS

EARTHQUAKE / A CATASTROPHE / A SHIP WRECK

French marine archaeologists working on Chile's remote Robinson Crusoe Island, which was reportedly hit by a huge wave after the earthquake, could not be contacted.

The archaeologists,were working with Chilean colleagues on the wreck of a Spanish galleon which sank in a storm in 1634.

The island gets its name from the hero of Daniel Defoe's novel whose adventures are based on those of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor marooned by his captain on the island in 1704.

- FIRE IN THE HOLE

All Fotos: By Alex Harsley

ALEX HARSLEY

Any consideration of Alex Harsley must take into account both his long evolving artistic practice and the key role he has played, as director of 4th Street Photo Gallery, in lending a degree of coherence to an otherwise loose knit group of artists in New York for over three decades. Certainly the trajectory of his own career as an artist has been shaped by his ongoing decision to provide a platform and forum for other art practitioners, particularly at a time when few other support structures existed.

A great initiative, an Art Collective work is LIVE now :FITH ArtCollective: FIRE IN THE HOLE

Become an associate sharing in the reward coming from an unified and engaging effort gaining control over our destiny.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE will, again, rise to the point of understanding to do something NOW!

Visit: http://fith-artcollective.jimdo.com/

Its a great honor to share FITH Art Collective with all of you. To Garia August, Maria Garozi and Eidothea,

ALEX HARSLEY IS OUR SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND 4TH STREET GALLERY IS HOME OF THE ART & HOME OF THE HEART -

- Maria Garozi & Garia August

BICYCLETTE

Foto: 1st Roll nyc, Sunday August 15 2004

- LA BICYCLETTE.

La bicyclette vieulle was on Bleecker and Elizabeth
The basket had no flowers that night
He placed the girl on the bicycle basket
started paddling
Are you warm?
So warm that I can
cease breathing now happy she replied

No, as long as I am behind you on this ride
You shall never stop breathing

La bicyclette nouvelle is close to East Broadway
There was no basket at all last night
He placed the ego all around the new green bicycle
she had gone to get for him
started mumbling
Are you cold?
So cold that I can
cease breathing now sad she thought

No, as long as you are not behind me on this ride
I shall still continue breathing

Life is a straight line
Not bi-cycles as she believed
A phone call that was never returned
His biggest ally has always been; Julie
but Julie never knew how to breathe only his love -
Les pas des amants de Julie

- Garia August

East Broadway
October 2006
(Re- edited February 2010)

-THE LOVE BUG OF NEW YORK

Sunday February 14th-

5:00pm: Discussion over coffee with L.K.

L.K. writes on her latest blog entry:
“I am still not sure…but maybe New York does have a heart”

I wasn’t sure either. Writing the day's journal notes though realized that the love is floating in the streets of New York. And the NYC heart is hidden in every moment of our daily cycles.
8:30am Love:
Care from Su; my dry cleaning lady on 9th street who will clean my clothes
carefully like Mother would do.

9:20am Love:
Warm hug on 7th Street from R.F. who was taking to his partner their morning breakfast.
10:00am Love:
My morning heart shaped latte coffee and my lavender cookie prepared
by Elizabeth and Jamie at

Abraco on 7th Street.

12:30pm Love:
Support from P. at Giano restaurant who has been a great friend the last months.
1:30pm Love:
Protection from Goshi; the Indian caretaker of my home; who brought me the special red wine poison.
2:30pm Love:
Wisdom words from the mentor A.H. during class.
8:00pm Love:
Dinner celebration with Garia at our sushi spot.

She looked at me and said: Have you seen the blog lately?

And to that I replied: What do you mean?

And she put on a smile and added:

We have received LOVE from all around the world

80 visitors from New York
75 visitors from Greece
5 visitors from UK
5 visitors from Germany
2 visitors from Ireland
2 visitors from France
1 visitor from Italy
1 visitor from Turkey
1 visitor from Canada and we even reached Sweden!
SO MUCH LOVE. THANK YOU -
11:00pm Love:
Eidothea's arrival who brought us good news from the lady whose knees are strong and armored.The meeting at Mountain Olympos ended with a hope for a visit from one of the Gods -
Which God you think is visiting? And for which reason this time?

- Maria Garozi

- THROUGH THE EYES OF THE FRAMED DESTINY

Through the eyes of the framed destiny the memory of that morning in the island
allows the gates of the story to open again -

The bedroom was white with wooden furniture. Not the typical Grecian room of the islands. More like a playroom somewhere in Africa. Beige shoes made of cotton and suede rhythmically placed one next to the other in front of the couch. The view from the desk was overlooking the cliffs and the open rough sea of God Poseidon.


-Garia August
Mykonos Island
June 21, 2004

-THE LAST MORNING WITH PETER PAN. THE DECISION

She woke up earlier than him.
He was still sleeping under the mosquito net.
Walked outside at the porch and looked from the window the sea.
There were three windsurfers windsurfing at a great speed.
The sea was wavy. Poseidon’s Sea.

Windsurfers (Water Warriors) – Girl (Naked) – Peter Pan (Sleeping)
The girl turned the head towards the room and looked at the man.
She looked carefully.
His body was old, wounded all over.
That morning all the wounds were open.
She could see well that this man will use her love and warmth
to close the wounds and then sell it in some street market in Africa. Same exact way another man before him had used her love and sold it to a Gypsy one night of the red moon. No more time to be wasted.

She looked again at the windsurfers and felt their power, their strength,their determination to fight hard in the battle with the waves, but also their patience till
they reach the peak of the ride and turn (botza) to return back to the shore winners, fulfilled of the journey at the open sea.
They are ALIVE. STRONG. THEY ARE PATIENTLY DRIVEN.
That was the moment she knew that the Gods had finally spoken her destiny.
That was the moment she decided that she is leaving Greece.
She is leaving the ISLANDS.
She will find a new island.

The Muse approached and whispered,
you either do it now or you shall never be allowed again to escape.

The nymph shouted from the shore,
you have to go after your most sacred dreams and find a life path like those sea warriors. If you don’t do it now you will never get the courage again.

LEAVE NOW. THE GODS ARE WITH YOU.

And then, sea horses made of wavy sea foam appeared and covered her naked body with water crystals. Aspida zwis.

The sea horse the oldest of the eleven announced:
GO MARIA. RUN. RUN FAR AWAY. DO NOT FEAR.
RUN LIKE A SEA WARRIOR.
FIND YOUR BOAT.
START THE JOURNEY ;
THE JOURNEY THAT THEY ALL THOUGHT HAS ENDED UPON ODYSSEUS RETURN TO ITHACA IS NOW IN YOUR HANDS

BUT YOU SHALL NOT RETURN FOR YOU WILL NEVER FIND THE FINAL PORT.
THE SEA WILL ALWAYS GUIDE YOU TO NEW STORIES.
BOARD THE JOURNEY NOW -

- Maria Garozi

Foto: Home East Village, 2010

Dear K.M. -

Its Tuesday night 10:00pm. New Month began.
February of year 2010.
My skin is still itchy and I didn't have dinner yet.
Just some chips.
I liked the Tostitos with lime taste that you had home. I think I went to buy the same chips this afternoon because of my desire to taste again the idea that I am still at your home spending some more time together. But I am not there. And you are not here.
So I write to you a letter.

I keep it all personal.
Thank you for the word of advice.

Le livre “Sexual Politics; La politique du Male” e le livre A.D. ont une place speciale a ma biblioteque. Obviously, I don’t have a library in my small East Village studio apartment but your books have a special place now in my heart. Thank you for the rare edition in French.

It seems like I got my job back at the Greek Salad Maker's place as you called it. I will take you there one night for some calamari.

Our conversation got interrupted when I asked you who was the person who broke your heart. We have to get a nice bottle of ouzo as I promised you to talk about that girl.

I will explain you also about my greek heart. Mother once told me that my heart is big like a Kafeneio (coffee place in Greek); it holds the secrets of many loves but also many sorrows.

And all that you said about Simone De Beauvoir...

Did she ever write to you a letter?

Its late now. I will make a smoked salmon sandwich for dinner. And then I will take my pill.

Love,

Garia August