Finding Connections : Pairing Pics

Over the years of running Super Ordinary Life - and probably for many years before, I have amassed a massive archive of images. Sometimes I feel really need to train myself to organise them in a more sensible and routine way. Yet in the moments when I actually attempt to do something about it, I end up flicking through images which then collide with memories of other images and so I wind up in a rampage through my camera roll to find the photo that my memory has made a vague connection with. This ridiculous and often exasperating exercise urged me to explore pairing images.

At first, I was fascinated at how pulling together images in this way creates a visual conversation that spans disparate moments and places. It’s a new method of storytelling, for me at least. Pairing is like doing a freestyle jigsaw puzzle with one-fits-all pieces. There is no wrong way to do this. The freedom in finding combinations can be daunting and overwhelming and I am not at a place where I am entirely satisfied with my attempts. But even then, even in my dissatisfaction, pairings have a way of revealing new layers of meaning, connection and yeah…inspiration, too!

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Super Ordinary Life is a true labour of love! I spend lots hours and my own money to keep the project going. I keep my space advert free and make no income from partnering with brands. Pretty much all the money earned from Zine making goes straight back into the project and pays for the website, hosting, research and zine making supplies.

If you have ever gained inspiration from my work, please consider keeping me going with a coffee or a membership (memberships are coming soon) . Your support makes all the difference. Arigato + Thank You!

WAYS TO SEE: SEEK THE INFRATHIN

“The passage from one to the other takes place in the infrathin”

Marcel Duchamp

I’ve been pondering about Marcel Duchamp’s term “infrathin” as a way of fine-tuning my perception of the overlooked and under-appreciated experiences in ordinary life. It’s really playing on my mind….. Mainly because the word is quite ineffable and partly because it is such a alluring concept to me.

Let’s start by using Duchamp’s own words to try and capture the essence of the term:

During an interview in 1945, Duchamp deliberated, "one can only give examples of it:"

• The warmth of a seat (which has just/been left) is infrathin

• when the tobacco smoke smells also of the/mouth which exhales it, the two odors/marry by infrathin

• Infra thin separation between the detonation noise of a gun (very close) and the apparition of the bullet hole in the target.

• forms cast in/the same mold (?) differ from each other by an infrathin separative amount.

So, the Infrathin in terms of everyday experiences can be described barely imperceptible moments. More like margins….Imperceptible margins between states of being, ideas and things as they transition into, out of and between one to the other.

I suppose such moments require a certain sensitivity to perceive? It takes practice to tune into ourselves in able to perceive them. And that is my mission (okay, one of my missions) for this year.

Here are a few visual examples that I have collected:

Infrathin. Liminal. Non retinal. Gaps.

Do you have any interpretations of the Infrathin? Visual or literal, we’d love to share your thoughts here.

WAYS TO SEE: A RESPONSE TO JOHN BURROUGHS

Here’s a level-headed thought provoking response that I received from Alexander Hoyles:

“I think regardless of your status in relation to a place (be it tourist, local, employee, visitor, photographer) our brains are wired in such a way that we mostly take in only what we pay attention to, and the finer details only of that which we directly focus on - locals may see subtle difference between things that seems the same to outsiders, but outsiders can find points of interest in things which fade into the background for locals... The colour of streetlights in a city or municipal signage might be 'just how it is' and go unnoticed to a long time resident, but be a wonder to visitors. We often as photographers (especially those of us interested in the everyday and urban spaces) speak of liminality and the spaces between  as though these are concrete features of a city/the urban environ globally, but in reality what is and isn't a liminal space has a lot to do with attention and consideration - to a person driving a daily commute, everything between home and work is simply 'The drive to work' and so all a non space, un/under examined - where as to those who walk that same route or live and work on it, it's is rich with detail. To the average museum visitor the exhibits are the focus and the building and spaces between display cases are ignored - however to a cleaner working in the building the spaces between are all that exist and the display cases contents ignored.”

Thank you Alexander for the insightful chat and inspiration to keep on reasoning with ourselves about what we capture and why we share.

Alexander had 2 accounts to follow on Instagram.

His portraits and still life work can found here https://www.instagram.com/alexander_hoyles/?hl=en

His street side observations can be found here https://www.instagram.com/reflected_repetition/?hl=en

His website: https://alexanderhoyles.com

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YOUR THOUGHTS

We really value hearing your thoughts.

Ways To See: Resist Grind Culture

"SEEING...

is an intellectual aesthetic exercise which increases one's inalienable capital, riches that can be accumulated without cost, once acquired, cannot be lost or stolen.”

George Nelson

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Highly recommended bit of reading:

Source: https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/10/23/10-years-of-brain-pickings/

WHAT IF WE EASE OFF THE GLORIFICATION OF BEING BUSY?

What if we used that energy to tune into ourselves and surroundings rather than reducing life’s details into a kind of background condition visual muzak?

I think now more than ever before is a good time to move against the grind culture that capitalism promotes, and pull something back for ourselves. Putting it bluntly, Capitalism thrives on exploitation, greed and oppression. It’s built on a prejudiced (race and class) system that abuses the rights and needs of people to line the pockets of a few.

Our fast-paced lifestyles normalise that damaging kind of competitive grind culture. We pushing ourselves to the limit for the sake of being busy. We’ve reached a point where we feel anxious and uncomfortable when we are less busy. We grind ourselves to the point of burn-out and then we seek escape from it all.

Grind culture is damaging. Damages our health our relationships and our connection to nature.

I’d like to think that Super Ordinary life is a gentle resistance against this. We can go slower, we can rest, we can stop to “smell the roses” and appreciate the “little things”. We do not need to feel anxious, guilty or unproductive for slowing down enough to notice more of all the stuff we’ve been busy overlooking.

We have so much to gain from stepping away from grind culture.

Resources for further reading:

10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings - a lot of which has to do with take time out of the grind. https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/10/23/10-years-of-brain-pickings/

The Nap Ministry examines the liberating power of naps as a form of resistance and reparation: https://thenapministry.wordpress.com

https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/?hl=en

https://thenapministry.wordpress.com

https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/?hl=en

Ways to See: Super Ordinary Life in The Guardian

It was a huge honour for me to be featured on The Guardian. Thank you everyone who read, shared, reached out and followed because of it. Thank you!!!!

Link to the article: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2020/may/22/awakening-a-sense-of-wonder-in-ordinary-life-in-pictures

Noticing More: The Intersection's Secret

“The details are not the details. They make the design.”

Charles Eames

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Junction, intersection, seam or joint, whatever you want to call it, and in whatever context you apply it to, this is one visible area where the hallmarks of quality are laid bare. It’s interesting how such essential and revealing details can fold itself into our daily lives, so much so that it’s often taken for granted rendering them almost invisible.

Detail from a school building in Tokyo

Details of seams from a shirt.

Thinking about it, the point where two or more elements are joined is the weakest part of a whole.

When you inspect the quality of a garment - look at the seams. Observing architecture? Check out the intersections - in particular where one material meets another. Regarding furniture? The joints are where you need to look.

So much is revealed at these intersections. The quality of the materials used, the level of skills and techniques applied and even the mount of care bestowed. It’s really worth slowing down to take another look at the secrets that lie in plain view.

Ways To See : Back To Basics

"To look is to learn, if you listen carefully"

Per Arnolfini

It's a good time to take a step back, sit down, and get back  to the down-to-earth basics. Sometimes when we are explaining what Super Ordinary Life is all about, it seems that the common words we use to refer to visual perception are as overused, misused and taken for granted as the mundane sights we talk about.

So just to break it down, for our reference as much as our reader's:

We SEE things whether we like it or not. 

We LOOK at things when we want to see something with intention.

We WATCH things that move

We OBSERVE when we look even harder and really think about it too.

To NOTICE can be a happenstance occurrence - but to notice means to become aware of something which can then be observed.

There are, of course constant instances where the distinctions between the words are blurred or stand too close to call without a bit of debate. The main point is that having a brief mental note of these words actually helps take in more of our visual surroundings.

There's a nice analogy plucked from the pages of  a most observant and beloved detective that brings together our thoughts nicely:

 In “A Scandal in Bohemia,” Sherlock Holmes instructs Dr. Watson on the difference between seeing and observing:

“When I hear you give your reasons,” I remarked, “the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each successive instance of your reasoning, I am baffled until you explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are as good as yours.”

“Quite so,” he answered, lighting a cigarette, and throwing himself down into an  armchair. “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.”

“Frequently.”

“How often?”

“Well, some hundreds of times.”

“Then how many are there?”

“How many? I don't know.”

“Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed.”

The exchange really shook me. Feverishly, I tried to remember how many steps there were in our own house, how many led up to our front door (I couldn’t). And for a long time afterward, I tried to count stairs and steps whenever I could, lodging the proper number in my memory in case anyone ever called upon me to report. I’d make Holmes proud (of course, I’d promptly forget each number I had so diligently tried to remember – and it wasn’t until later that I realized that by focusing so intently on memorization, I’d missed the point entirely and was actually being less, not more observant)."

Ways to See: The Way of the Flâneur

“To be away from home and yet to feel oneself everywhere at home; to see the world, to be at the centre of the world, and yet to remain hidden from the world—impartial natures which the tongue can but clumsily define. The spectator is a prince who everywhere rejoices in his incognito.” 

Charles Baudelaire

We had a bit of a lightbulb movement recently, the kind accompanied by imaginary little bells ringing and a big smile! The word "flâneur" recently fell into our sights and it struck a chord. 

If case like us, you haven't come across it before, the term flâneur was conjured up by French poet Charles Baudelaire, who thought that the simple act of walking down the street is a dramatic adventure rich with ideas and sensory experiences and the flaneur is very much intune to this.

Credit: Yasumi Location: Shoreditch, London

Flâneurs, according to Baudelaire, aren't always walking with aspecific purpose in mind, not always walking to go somewhere or get something. They are observing their environments with eyes wide open. They are "botanists of the pavement", perceptive of modern urban life. Passionate pedestrian spectators that notice things and relish what they discover. 

Credit: Yasumi Location: City of London

Sound familiar? We highly recommend large doses flâneurism as often as you possibly can.

The candid photos on this post may not be Super Ordinary, in fact they seem quite the opposite. Yet, they are taken during 2 of my most mundane moments, the walk to work and the walk to collect my son from nursery. It's so easy to fall into complacency during these times, to just fall into autopilot and "get there". Yet if I had, then I would never have seen these curious of curious sights. And they made me smile

It is not only rewarding visually, but taking a leisurely stroll unencumbered by urgency, following your gut, feet or nose, whilst noticing things helps us refresh and restore us mentally too.  Noticing things as you walk around is mental ambulation. It's a great way to clear away cobwebs, escape the doldrums and more. Even our most familiar streets can bring new inspiration. 

Ways to See: Learn Visual Literacy

"It is baffling to find someone with eyes no better than our own, who sees things we are unable to perceive."

George Nelson

Born in America in 1908, George Nelson is a central figure in Midcentury century design and one of the founders of American Modernism. A true polymath, Nelson was a trained architect, celebrated industrial designer, graphic designer, teacher and one time Director of Design for Herman Miller where he was responsible for recruiting Charles and Ray Eames, Isamu Noguchi and Alexander Girard. As a furniture designer,  he had the ability to reinterpret everyday items as works of art so it is no wonder that he was responsible for some of the most iconic furniture and home accessories in modernity. Yet in our opinion, his legacy extends his designs.

Most notable to Super Ordinary Life, when George Nelson was not designing or running his office of over 70 members, he was never without his camera. He was not on an artistic pursuit of artful compositions. He was relentlessly snapping away to record the things that caught his eye. It was from this fascination with images that his obsession with what he termed Visual Literacy was born.

VISUAL LITERACY

is a concept essential to Super Ordinary Life, but what exactly does it mean?

What is Visual Literacy? (Or how to see)

In a highly simplified summary, George Nelson's Visual Literacy boils down to the following:

• Visual Literacy is the ability to interpret the non-verbal messages that we see in the chaotic manmade environment.

• Literacy is deemed as one of the central foundations of a civil society yet most people are largely and complacently visually illiterate.

• In a plea to encourage an education in Visual Literacy, Nelson delivered lectures and wrote books and articles for several publications to encourage us to sharpen our visual skills and challenge us to reexamine the way we see and what we overlook.

• He was convinced that we can learn to read images in the same way that we read words - through experience, exposure and practice.

• On the premise that everything in the man made world has been designed, He sought to encourage scholars and designers to use visual literacy to question and evaluate the reasons and results of these things. Vital skills in our ability to think critically about our built environment.

"Seeing...

is an intellectual aesthetic exercise which increases one's inalienable capital, riches that can be accumulated without cost, once acquired, cannot be lost or stolen."

The concept of visual literacy as a means to a sharpening our observational and in fact verbal acuity is hugely influential to almost every aspect of Super Ordinary Life. Noticing, observing, seeing and then evaluating and questioning what it all means are our basic everyday tools. There times that an entire set of photos that we've taken of things that we've noticed during our daily movements or on our travels seem to refer back to what we are learning from Nelson's way of looking at the world.

"The language of vision...

uses light, shape, colour, texture, lines, patterns, similarities, contracts and movement"

Sometimes we wonder what Nelson would make of today's Instagram crazy world. Would he have an account? Bet it would be incredible. Yet, his legacy has relevant messages for us on this too.  His Visual Literacy serves as reminder in this instagram driven world that what we capture can go beyond looking for perfectly beautiful shots that conform to ideals of how we are trying to present ourselves, capturing pictures can and should be a visual adventure that encourages us and others to interpret our chaotic visual environments. Of course this is rather academic and design biased. Yet it is just the tip of the iceberg. There are more holistic aspects to Visual Literacy, that we discuss another time. 

Curiously, the single George Nelson designed item that we own is his Eye Clock. It is a cherished item and an article of great beauty, constructed in walnut and brass, designed in the 1950's it's retained it timeless appeal.  Long before we dreamed up Super Ordinary Life the clock has been quietly watching over as years pass, inspiring us to look harder and look again at the world around us.

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References: George Nelson, How to See ISBN:978-0714873831, George Nelson Foundation, Herman Miller How To See