Knowledge comes from noticing resemblances and recurrences in the events that happen around us,” Wilfred Trotter
Diving into my woefully disorganised camera roll is one of my favourite ways to learn from my scattered visual notes. Amid the chaos, I can sometimes make connections from one set of photos to another. It is a messy but intuitive and unpolished way to see the subtle threads that connect one local culture or location to another, often thousands of kilometres apart. These waterless dives are meditative and accidentally informative and yeah, also enormously cathartic and rewarding.
My latest wander through my camera roll lead to a gentle study of how certain complex human needs are deciphered and manifested onto our streets. In this case the need is spiritual and it is revealed by the dedicated places for passersby to leave a brief silent prayer or pay a nod of respect.
Today I am drawing lines from the street side shrines I encountered in Malaga to the O-Jizo-sama of my local neighbourhood in Tokyo.
It goes without saying pavement prayer pit stops tell more than a particular culture’s requirement for roadside reverence. They tell of faith, piety, hope, pain, respect and sometime superstition. But they also tell us plenty by how they are presented, what they are made of, how they are maintained and where they are positioned. Floral offerings seem universal regardless of religion. Specific to Japan are the garlands of senbazuru found beside O-Jizo-sama, they strike a poignant chord with me. The patience and dedication it takes to make 1000 origami cranes really moves me.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are there any such places for roadside reverence where you are? I would love to see your observations and read your thoughts.
Please share with me via email: Yasumi @ Superordinarylife.com or via Instagram
Send photos, words and let me know where they are taken and where you would like me cite and link credits to.