Memory Without Image
Beauty can only be described by experience
In a world with constant visual bombardment and recorded histories I myself have trouble existing without photographing this or that.
The past few days, I spent time in the woods with my daughter's. All devices locked up and only analog forms of entertainment. Swimming in creeks, walking well trodden paths through the trees, sitting by a fire and mostly doing nothing.
Since acquiring a camera the intentions of my photos have shifted but the desire to capture something has only grown.
It began as a way to rewire my mind to slow down and experience beauty that I saw but overlooked almost daily. My practice of stopping to smell the roses was to photograph them.
Each picture I share holds interest to me. Whether it be the content, the light or even a philosophical discussion, they all come from a place within me that I want to share. A perspective of sorts of the world we live in.
Recently in Copenhagen I experienced the project 'The Blind' by Sophie Calle.
I met people who were born blind. Who had never seen. I asked them what their image of beauty was.
- Sophie Calle
In this project Calle interviewed attendees of the Institute for the Blind in Paris and asked them to describe beauty.
For what is beauty to anybody? What is it to those born blind? What experiences and senses create these memories. What vocabulary or examples can be used to communicate the idea?
We all experience things differently and in turn each experience influences the impact of the next and so on.
Having spent the entirety of my career focussed on creating visual landscapes, I rarely considered the other senses. Or how beauty is translated without images.
As we repeat and reinforce actions we train and strengthen parts of our mind. We rely on these strengths to help us walk through life.
I've relied so much on my ability to understand design through imagery that I haven't spent enough time on understanding the design of the other senses.
The design of sound and smell has an incredible history and impact on our experiences.
It stands to reason that after almost two decades of sharing images rampantly online society is clamouring for more and more access to the spheres of audiophiles and scent designers.
At 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, nearly every space invited visitors to sit with sound as a layer of the experience. Frama focussed our attention on scent with a collection of sculptures by David Gardener, machines designed to activate smell through motion.
Exceptional spaces are designed to activate all of these senses. To leave a memory that transcends awareness. They dance between the nostalgic and the indescribable to create its own imprint on the person.
As my curiosity for the world continues to deepen I will embrace these weaknesses I've identified and develop them into new strengths.
And perhaps it's time I actually smell the roses.
