Noticing More: Prayer Pit Stops

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.

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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.

THINGS IN SUNLIGHT : Perspex Shapes

Noticing More: Hedge Hugs

I love it when I notice a good hedge hug.

You know what I mean, right?

It’s when a hedge appears to be extending an embrace to an object that just happens to be in its proximity. Like these:

Share your hedge hugs with us:

We’d love to share your hedge hugs here! Please email them to us and let us know where you saw them and where you would like us to credit and link the images to.

Actually, If you’re partial to any street objects that seem to be embracing. Not just hedges, it could be anything that caught your eye. please do get in touch. It’s always good to hear from you.

You might like:

Unnoticed conversations - Where we talk about the unspoken emotional mirrors humble street objects can be.

3 BOOKS THAT INSPIRED ME TO NOTICE MORE

Here are 3 books that enabled me to articulate and tiptoe onto my path of “noticing more”. I remember the feeling of discovery when I first dipped into their pages, they were full of wide-eyed moments punctuated with, “YESSSSSSSS, THAT’S WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY!".

These three books are I often quote and share pages of on our Instagram Stories. I drag them out when having wine-fuelled curious conversations with close friends. They are “up there” on my list of recommended reads and resources for all things Super Ordinary Life. In all honesty, they are much more than that - they extend and supersede anything that I can word and I just love them.

George Nelson. How to See. Visual Adventures in a World God Never Made.

Many will know George Nelson as a founding father of American modernism, industrial designer , architect and director at Herman Miller. Less might know that Nelson was rarely without a camera. “ He snapped photos spontaneously and constantly, less concerned about the niceties of artful composition that simply recording the people, places and things that caught his eye. dozens of rolls of films at a time”. Nelson accumulated tens of thousands of images that helped him articulate his fascination with what he called visual literacy”. This eventually grew into this manifesto on how to recognize, evaluate, and understand the objects and landscape of the man-made world.

John Pawson. A Visual Inventory.

Unfortunately, this book is out of print and I was sad when Phaidon emailed to confirm that it won’t be reprinted anytime soon. I managed to track one down online from a secondhand bookstore and it arrived a couple of days before we moved to Japan!

By the time A Visual Inventory was published in 2012, John Pawson’s photo archive held some 250,000 images. 288 of them have made it into this book where they collectively form an insightful visual diary accompanied with personal commentaries that inspire articulate ways of looking and thinking at ordinary sights.

Alan Fletcher. The Art of Looking Sideways.

Alan Fletcher was a founder of the leading design firm Pentagram and considered by many in the graphic design world to be a contemporary master. Describing himself as a ‘visual jackdaw’, Fletcher distilled a lifetime of experience and reflection into this brilliantly witty and inimitable exploration of such subjects as perception, colour, pattern, proportion, paradox, illusion, language, alphabets, words, letter, ideas, creativity, culture, style, aesthetics and value. This colossal book is a primer in visual intelligence and an exploration of the workings of the eye, the hand, the brain and the imagination. I love this book immensely, to me, it’s worth its weight in gold.

This book is also out of print but buying secondhand is a great idea!

Aside from being published by Phaidon, all three books were written by prominent designers who made a lifestyle of collecting observations. Designers have a distinctive way of observing the world in search of solutions and problems, It’s worth keeping that in mind when you consider these books. These books come at the subject of observing the everyday from a comprehensive and analytical perspective.

I will be back soon with another trio of books that inspired by journey in Super Ordinary Life.

Thank you @Iikkyu for inspiring this blog post.

Noticing More: Yellows

Here are three yellow scenes in Japan, taken by one of our favourite people on Instagram; MINIMALISM TOKYO

Location: Tohoku Shinkansen

Tokyo

Tokyo

Connect with Minimalism Tokyo:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minimalism_tokyo/?hl=en

Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/minimalism_tokyo/?hl=en

VSCO: https://vsco.co/minimalismtokyo/gallery

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COLOUR COLLECTIONS

We’re changing up our colour posts. We’re making them shorter and snappier so we can share more of them, more often! Colour is a huge source of inspiration for many people and a great way to sharpen the eyes.

If you have a collection that you would like to share on the Super Ordinary Life blog (and Instagram Stories), please do email them to us. Here’s what we’re looking for:

• 3 pictures following 1 colour theme.

• Send them to us in a quick email. letting us know the colour and where each pic was taken (just the city will do).

• Don’t worry about perfect photography. We are more interested in what caught your attention.

• Let us know how you would like to be credited. Your name, website, Instagram account etc.

Really looking forward to sharing your observations!

Email: Yasumi @ superordinarylife . com

Noticing more: BEAUTIFUL DECAY

Why is this Super Ordinary?

We tend to overlook the beauty at our feet in favour of the blossoms in full bloom overhead. Even in decay, there is a kind of beauty involved in these petals. Once petals start to fall - they are regarded with tinges of sadness before they are seen as a nuisance and quickly swept away by locals.

Sakura season was a weird one this year, and it taught me many things about Japan.

One lesson was how difficult it is for Japanese people to keep away from gathering in groups to sit beneath the bellowing pink blossoms regardless of the COVID-19 threats.

The other thing that I learned was more about myself. As much as I adore gazing up at the efflorescent clouds of pink, I also enjoy the pools of patterns made by the fallen petals. Floating on water, strewn across pavements, pooling in gutters and filling in cracks on the roads. Battered and bruised as they often are, they are an alluring curious kind of confetti.

Noticing More: Hello Yellow

“Colour is the place where our brain and the universe meet".”

Paul Klee

Flicking through a copy of John Pawson’s Spectrum and feeling inspired, I thought it would be interesting to similarly explore a range of colours that catch our attention during our ordinary lives through fun collections of photos from our archives and those of our readers and friends, too.

Yellow seemed as good a place as any to begin.

In colour theory, yellow is energising and is associated with happiness. Less positive is its association with cowardice. Recently, I’ve noticed that yellow is a regular corporate colour as it’s often featured in logos. Yellow, it seems, as well as being an eye-catcher is also associated with modernity.

Bow, London

Hackney Wick, London

Hackney Wick, London

Koenji, Tokyo

Aquatic Centre, London

Nezu, Tokyo

Daita, Tokyo

Poplar, London

What our friends and followers have noticed:

We have the most loveliest of supporters of Super Ordinary Life. Awesome observers such as Bloomzy and Buckets & Spades who keep thinking of all things Super Ordinary even when they are on their adventures. Mat is especially enthusiastic about the colour Yellow and we now have a neat pile of photos from him ready for our next visit to the colour. Our new contributor this week is @bpdraguiskyphoto who found us via Twitter.

Tile details Noticed in Stockholm by Emma from Bloomzy

Credit: Bloomzy

A collection of yellow things noticed by Mat from Buckets & Spades blog

“I never really look out for themes of colours, I just seem to notice it after it’s happened. I’m drawn to a bunch of different shades, brightnesses and combos, but one reoccurring theme as I look through my cameras, is the colour yellow. Maybe it’s because I associate it with positivity (on a subconscious level), and maybe also because it’s just really jolly looking isn’t it?

It’s used as a warning, friendly reminder, to evoke the summer, to grab your attention, but in the right setting it just blends in with the rest. Yellow, my versatile friend, you are mega.”

Credit: Buckets & Spades

Credit: Buckets & Spades

Credit: Buckets & Spades

Credit: Buckets & Spades

Credit: Buckets & Spades

Yellow bench noticed in Manchester by bpdraguiskyphoto

Credit: https://www.instagram.com/bpdraguiskyphoto/

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this wander through some yellow observations.

If you would like to get involved in the next colour round-up (It will be MINT GREEN), please send your pictures and friendly words to : Yasumi @ superordinarylife (.) com

Thank you!

Noticing More: Disembodiment

If you think about it, there are a lot of body parts scattered across our cities.

Disembodied heads bedecked with hats or spectacles to tempt the willing consumer. Various appendages can be found in street markets and posh department stores. Museums are filled to the brim with ancient extremities. Occasionally, we might even come across some discarded limbs on our local streets.

Bow London

Bow, London

Bow, London

Bow, London

Cody Dock, London

Nikko, Japan

Shimotakaido, Tokyo

Brick Lane, London

Sangenjaya, Tokyo

We’ve observed that mannequins seem the easiest to overlook and can at times seem even comical in their disembodied state. Dolls of on the other hand take on an eerie disposition. Yet ancient statues. though mutilated by time are still admired in museums and galleries worldwide. Why? An answer to this puzzle could be explained by the words of George Nelson; “the essence of a beautiful thing can survive a surprising amount of damage”.

What our friends and followers have noticed:

One of the biggest joys of running Super Ordinary Life is receiving observations from our friends and people who have recently come across us on Instagram or Twitter. We have a fine foursome of photos to accompany our “disembodiment” issue from Cardboardcities, Jordan Bunker, thesilvercherry and frenchtartelette

Kitty from Cardboardcities noticed these lower halves in Cardiff.

This elegant trio was noticed in London by our buddy Jordan Bunker.

thesilvercherry has a great eye! She noticed this choir of heads in Tooting Market, London.

Noticed by frenchtartelette in Saigon, Vietnam.

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This curious theme is definitely one that we will revisit with future blog posts, so if you do have any pics or words that you would like to share there are a few ways that you can get involved :

Instagram

#super_ordinarylife on Instagram. We’d love it if you shared your captures there. We will always credit and link back to you when we use your pics both here or on Instagram.

Email

Send your pictures and friendly words to : Yasumi @ superordinarylife (.) com

Ways to See: Totanism

Something that gets our immediate attention when we are on one of our strolls, especially here in Japan, are “totan”.

Before we steam ahead in mad excitement about this “way to see”, we should tell you that “totan” is the Japanese word for corrugated galvanised iron or steel sheeting. Stick an “ism” at the end of that, and you have a made up word that implies the admiration of totan.

トタニズム

If there is one thing that we’ve learned about our many observational fixations is that you can bet that there are others out there who are also attracted to the same sight, be it traffic cones, fences or corrugated galvanised metal sheeting. So when we came across this book, (which is now out of print). we were less surprised than determined to have it on our bookshelf.

Totanism

by Fumiaki Ishiwata published in 2013.

The publication is slim on words but the writing that it does include is certainly inspiring even for people like us who’ve already made quite a pastime of gazing at its subject matter.

By now you might be wondering how this infatuation is actually a way to see?

The answer lies in Ishiwata’s imaginative categorisation of the various forms of Totan he’s encountered. They include groups such as the “barcode”, “graphic equaliser”, “patchwork” and “paranormal”. Although most of our own examples aren’t as clearly defined as the author’s, it’s certainly got us taking a second look and think about the totan we have previously and continue to come across.

The way we see it…….

Patchwork totan. Location: Fish Island, London"

Paranormal totan. Location: Kichijoji, Tokyo

Location: Lisbon

Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Patchwork Totan. Stone Town, Zanzibar

Location: Matsuzaki, Shizuoka

Patchwork Totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Graphic equaliser Totan. Location: Daizawa, Tokyo

Location: Shimoda, Izu

patchwork totan. Location: Shimoda, Izu

Patchwork totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Patchwork totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Location: Higashi Kitazawa, Tokyo

Location: Daizawa, Tokyo

...each panel is quite unique, like accidental art. it just speaks to our hearts.

Corrugated galvanised metal sheeting is to us, strikingly beautiful. We get that it may not cater to everyone’s picturesque ideal but trust us, there’s something poetic about the robust, rough and ready material. From the way it ages to the way it is used in informal and industrial structures. it has to be one of the fastest and most versatile way to put up a wall or roof! Aside from the practicalities, totan is loaded with tactile sentiment and visual interest. We are enamoured by way the panels weather, rust, warp, peel and react to their specific environment, use and social context. The consequence is that each panel is quite unique, like accidental art. it just speaks to our hearts.

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Totan from our friends...

We always feel so happy when people send us their photos with permission to not only share them on this blog but to also add them to our growing archive of observations. We could not, not ask style blogger JOHN JARRET for a few pictures for this first of our Totanism edition posts. He features such lovely examples in his work that it would have been rude not to get him involved somehow. We also received some observations of totan in Kyoto from the very talented and keen eye of JOE KEATING

JOE KEATING’S WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM: @iikkyu

Credit: Joe Keating.

Location: Kyoto

Credit: Joe Keating.

Location: Kyoto

JOHN JARRETT’S BLOG

INSTAGRAM: @_johnjarrett

Credit: John Jarrett

Location: Japan

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If you would like to explore the hashtag in Japanese on Instagram, here it is ready for you to copy and paste: #トタニズム

Totanism is a subject we are already looking forward to revisiting with future blog posts, so if you do have any pics or words that you would like to share there are a few ways that you can get involved :

Instagram

#super_ordinarylife on Instagram. We’d love it if you shared your captures there. We will always credit and link back to you when we use your pics both here or on Instagram.

Email

Send your pictures and friendly words to : Yasumi @ superordinarylife (.) com