Baker Library Floor: 1 sq yard

My subject is a single square yard of the floor at the Baker library. This roughly 36" x 36" section of flooring contains 5 black tiles and 4 white tiles in an alternating checkerboard pattern. The observation area is located within the Reiss Hall portion of the library.

The torn corner of a Twix candy bar wrapper lies on the floor, just inside my subject area. The wrapper appears to be torn from the top right in a downward motion to the left, presumably to allow easier access to the Left Twix—the tastiest bar, of course. I deduce from this that the wrapper’s owner (and literer) is likely right-handed. I also observe a large black mark on the linoleum where a shoe may have scuffed the floor. The more I look at these tiles the stranger they seem—and uglier, too! I feel a little dizzy, like gazing into a vortex. Are people noticing me staring at the floor??

The candy bar wrapper is now gone, as is the black streak. I notice a line of ants walking across the southwest corner of my observation area. People are walking right over them and squashing them without even noticing! I feel a powerful urge to intervene, but I can’t interfere and remain an observer. Oh, the humanity!!

I observe a single dust bunny now. It’s scuttling and twirling in the eddies of air made by passers-by . . . as if it’s dancing with me. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The ants are no longer present. Did they spray pesticide and kill my tiny friends, or did the ants move on to another source of food?

There is a crack in the linoleum. It was difficult to see because the tile where it lies is black (I’ve numbered this tile #6 in my field note sketch). Was that there before? It has sand and small bits of lint and salt inside it. And also what looks like a tiny orange bead—perhaps from broken bracelet or necklace? I just realized that this is the exact same industrial black-and-white tile that was in my elementary school and in other institutional settings I’ve encountered before. Now that I’m thinking about it, this stuff seems to be everywhere in older buildings. I wonder if I can find the manufacturer of this linoleum?

Ok, I’m feeling like a complete nerd because I found the manufacturer: Forbo. The flooring in question is called Marmoleum—a linoleum that looks like marble, I guess? This stuff is ugly as hell. They have been manufacturing since 1928. Wow, here is an amazing video on the manufacturing of linoleum. I’m . . . kind of in awe? Humans are completely amazing.

I’m starting to notice that the floor gets polished on Monday evenings, and is quite lustrous on Tuesdays. I’d like to talk to the person who polishes this spot. What are they like? Who can I ask to find this person? What’s their story?