Footnotes to a Conversation, February 3, 2025
"People too often think hope is smiles and sunshine, when it’s fury in the face of danger and oppression and pressing on in the storm." – Rebecca Solnit
Speaking Out
Banksy’s artwork is an excellent reminder that there are multiple ways of making our voices heard. Take a look at some of his works that are now on display at the new Banksy Museum in Madrid. [The Guardian]
Learning to See Beauty
We are so much more aware of our surroundings when we’re travelling. Everything is new and different, and so we pay attention. When we’re at home, in familiar surroundings, we tend to let our minds float and ignore what is around us. I’m still new to life beside the ocean, so I’m always looking for otters or herons or mergansers and oystercatchers, but I see so many people talking on their phones and completely oblivious to what is around them.
Gregory Garretson says, “Change keeps us alert. When we go somewhere new, we suddenly start noticing everything. And yet, consider this: There is not more in our environment when we go somewhere new—we are surrounded by the same number of things—it is simply that the things are new and different, and therefore we categorize them less rapidly and less automatically … If we accept the idea that beauty is not something that we are surrounded by, but rather a way in which we look at the things around us, we can see that it is possible to learn to appreciate our home—or any other environment—by developing our capacity to look for beauty.” [Living Elsewhere]
Utilitarian Art
Deniz Kurdak turns to embroidery and lacemaking to emphasize the fragility and the resilience of fragments of porcelain. It’s art imitating art with both showcasing the beauty of utilitarian handicrafts. [Colossal]
Photo: Cordoba, Spain
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.