Noticing More: Trailer Trashed

“I always see the absurdity in most situations. It's my experience of how life works.”

Natasha Lyonne

We used to live in one of London’s dumping grounds.

Before the Olympics of 2012. Before Hackney Wick found itself with a shiny new Overground station and a burgeoning population of residents to snatch up the fancy new waterside abodes, not many people lived in Fish Island. It was a community of live/work art spaces. Drafty, crumbling, time weathered, cavernous places originally intended for industrial use. Not especially quaint, the streets were makeshift galleries for street and guerrilla artists. Often strewn with litter and post-semi legal rave residue, the pavements were often lined with discarded N2O cartridges. Taking up the most space amongst the random “rubbish”, trailers (among other vehicles), were a common sight.

I took pics of quite a few during our time in the area. Here are some of my favourites:

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I wonder what makes certain areas more prone to fly-tipping than others? From what I observed, it’s usually an area with fewer residents and less security monitoring. An area that seems on the fringes of somehow. Places where less people will complain or make an issue of it. It’s interesting that despite the usual deterrents, (fine warnings and clamping) this still happened in the area. Can’t say that it ever bothered us. I suppose we just accepted it as part of the personality of the area. We never really understood why local authorities bothered to clamp them or stick fines on them.

Noticing More: The Curious Appeal of Abandoned Doors

Dumped doors. Abandoned and propped up against a wall. Clearly leading no where, yet they never fail to capture our imagination.

It’s difficult to walk by one without a quick glance behind it, just to satisfy the niggling “what if” at the back of our minds.

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All of these decommissioned doors were noticed in London. In the Eastend, to be more exact. I’m not if there is something in that snippet of info. I wonder if we will ever come across any abandoned doors here in Japan. I wonder….

Noticing More: Mint Green

“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”

Pablo Picasso


Our next whirl into the colour spectrum plunges us into pursuit of hues of fresh mint. That pastelicious milky green goodness.

Mint is a colour with tones of appeal to me. Seeing bits of mint in cities is somehow visually refreshing. Since moving to Tokyo I’ve noticed that it’s used A LOT in public spaces. I have no idea why, my father-in-law theorises that Japanese people use mint green as well as other pastel colours in the public realm because they are easy on the eye and less likely to cause any offence. Sort of striking but in a soft way.

Kaguyama, Tokyo

Kaguyama, Tokyo

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Kaguyama, Tokyo

Kaguyama, Tokyo

Yakumo, Tokyo

Yakumo, Tokyo

Yoyogi kōen, Tokyo

Yoyogi kōen, Tokyo

Taishido, Tokyo

Taishido, Tokyo

Kichijōji, Tokyo

Kichijōji, Tokyo

Yoyogi Uehara, Tokyo

Yoyogi Uehara, Tokyo

Futakotamagawa, Tokyo

Futakotamagawa, Tokyo

Umegaoka, Tokyo

Umegaoka, Tokyo

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In Japan, household bleach comes in mint bottles with pink caps. I’ve also noticed this colour combination on small scale construction and renovation sites.

Sasazuka, Tokyo

Sasazuka, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya, Tokyo

 

What our friends and followers have noticed:

Many thanks to our generous and all-round awesome observers such as Alicia Mundy, Winnie Nip, Susanne from Hallo.Hello.moshimoshi and Mark Bessoudo. It’s an enormous honour and pleasure to have your noticings on our blog.

 
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Hints of mint noticed by Alicia Mundy

“I think mint is just a really soothing colour and I love mint flavoured things, particularly ice cream.”

Website: https://www.aliciamundy.com

Instagram: instagram.com/alicia.mundy

Hastings, UKCredit: instagram.com/alicia.mundy

Hastings, UK

Credit: instagram.com/alicia.mundy

Cambridge, UKCredit: instagram.com/alicia.mundy

Cambridge, UK

Credit: instagram.com/alicia.mundy

 
 
Noticed by Winnie from Diamond CanopyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/diamondcanopy/
Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, UKCredit: https://www.instagram.com/diamondcanopy/

Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, UK

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

 
 
Noticed by Susanne from Hallo.hello.moshimoshi

Noticed by Susanne from Hallo.hello.moshimoshi

 
Oaxaca, MexicoCredit : https://markbessoudo.com

Oaxaca, Mexico

Credit : https://markbessoudo.com

Bangkok, ThailandCredit : https://markbessoudo.com

Bangkok, Thailand

Credit : https://markbessoudo.com

Do you like mint hues, too?

If you would like to add your pics (and links) to next colour round-up (It will be ORANGE), please send your pictures and friendly words to : Yasumi @ superordinarylife (.) com

Thank you!

Noticing More: Pump it up!

The longer we spend observing and walking through the ordinary streets of Tokyo, the more reasons we find to enjoy the contradictions that we notice. We previously mentioned the use of handmade brooms (here). This time we have Tokyo’s water pumps our radar and just like the brooms they seem like a discrepancy against the backdrop of modern Tokyo.

Super Ordinary Life Tokyo Water Pumps 1

These old hand operated water pumps are called te-oshi-pompu and the more you noticing them, the more you will see around Tokyo. Most are a rusty, probably defunct and on the surface, they may seem to be part of the city’s disappearing souvenir of the past. However, they have a practicality that will keep them around for decades to come.

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Japan straddles a major earthquake zone and these humble te-oshi-pompu, are hard-hitting reminders of the vulnerability of the water infrastructure in the face of natural disasters. Each time a large quake rears, homes in effected areas can be cut off from a water supply for days or weeks at a time. That’s when the brilliance of te-oshi-pompu as an alternative water supply comes into play.

In our own ward of Setagaya, the local authorities subsidise maintenance of many privately owns pumps and wells on the proviso that the owners agree to open the pumps and wells to the public in times of need. Now admittedly, most of the pumps we have spotted in our area look inoperative. However, there a couple that look well-maintained and it’s good to know that there are there.

It’s great isn’t it? That what we regard as vanishing and old technology continues to be a functional and valuable alternative solution in times of great need.

Noticing More: The Intersection's Secret

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

Charles Eames


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

Detail from a school building in Tokyo

Details of seams from a shirt.

Details of seams from a shirt.

Super Ordinary Life Wegner Getama

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.

 

 

Noticing More: Rubbish Telly

“Life imitates art far more than art imitates life”

Oscar Wilde

 

Some one dumped this telly by block of flats near where we used to live in London.

Of course, I couldn’t walk on by without taking a quick pic. A few days later and unbeknown to me, Hiro walked past the same telly and took a couple of pictures, too. It was interesting to see what became of the telly.

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Part of me is sad that an object that is clearly minding its own business can be subjected to such treatment. Part of me accepts that, that is what happens to anything that is discarded and abandoned on the street side. And there is also a part of me that could imagine the smashed up telly in a gallery somewhere.

 

“Life doesn't imitate art, it imitates bad television.”

― Woody Allen

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

Bow, London

Hackney Wick, London

Hackney Wick, London

Hackney Wick, London

Hackney Wick, London

Koenji, Tokyo

Koenji, Tokyo

Aquatic Centre, London

Aquatic Centre, London

Nezu, Tokyo

Nezu, Tokyo

Daita, Tokyo

Daita, Tokyo

 
 
Poplar, London

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.

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

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.”

 

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

Bow, London

Bow, London

Bow, London

Bow, London

Cody Dock, London

Cody Dock, London

Nikko, Japan

Nikko, Japan

Shimotakaido, Tokyo

Shimotakaido, Tokyo

Brick Lane, London

Brick Lane, London

Sangenjaya, Tokyo

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.

Kitty from Cardboardcities noticed these lower halves in Cardiff.

 
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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.

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Noticed by frenchtartelette in Saigon, Vietnam.


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.

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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.

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Totanism

by Fumiaki Ishiwata published in 2013.

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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"

Patchwork totan. Location: Fish Island, London"

Paranormal totan. Location: Kichijoji, Tokyo

Paranormal totan. Location: Kichijoji, Tokyo

Location: Lisbon

Location: Lisbon

Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Patchwork Totan. Stone Town, Zanzibar

Patchwork Totan. Stone Town, Zanzibar

Location: Matsuzaki, Shizuoka

Location: Matsuzaki, Shizuoka

Patchwork Totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Patchwork Totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Graphic equaliser Totan. Location: Daizawa, Tokyo

Graphic equaliser Totan. Location: Daizawa, Tokyo

Location: Shimoda, Izu

Location: Shimoda, Izu

patchwork totan. Location: Shimoda, Izu

patchwork totan. Location: Shimoda, Izu

Patchwork totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Patchwork totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Patchwork totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Patchwork totan. Location: Shimokita, Tokyo

Location: Higashi Kitazawa, Tokyo

Location: Higashi Kitazawa, Tokyo

Location: Daizawa, Tokyo

Location: Daizawa, Tokyo

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...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.


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

Credit: Joe Keating.Location: Kyoto

Credit: Joe Keating.

Location: Kyoto

Credit: Joe Keating.Location: Kyoto

Credit: Joe Keating.

Location: Kyoto

 
Credit: John JarrettLocation: Japan

Credit: John Jarrett

Location: Japan


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

Ways to See: Too Close

Page by page, we were increasingly touched by Letícia Lampert’s work.

“Known By Sight” is a study of an increasingly super ordinary situation in densely populated cities, where residential blocks are built so close together that the view from the windows are vignettes of their neighbour’s lives. It’s fascinating to get a sense of how in such crowded conditions “Neighbors who don’t formally know each other… can make long descriptions about each other’s daily habits”.

The work was created with the stories and generosity the people living in more than apartments within the narrow streets of Porte Alegre in Brazil. Their stories and Leticia’s photography and sensitivity offers a revealing study of these unique relationships established in the city.

Website

Neighbors who don’t formally know each other… can make long descriptions about each other’s daily habits”.

It’s interesting to note how the different residents proclaim their privacy non-verbally. Some have net curtains on every window, others have them only on a specific windows. Whilst others seem completely unworried and accepting about being seen going about their daily lives. As more and more people move into our cities and space becomes ever more of an issue, situations like this will be increasingly Super Ordinary.


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There are a lot of elements in “Known By Sight” that strike a chord with us. Our previous home, in London was in an apartment block with large windows that faced into an internal courtyard. Although we couldn’t see right into our neighbour’s homes, we could see enough to sometimes get a little sense of their lifestyle. For example, we could tell when occupants were students, we could make a good guess what music our neighbours liked. That people opposite loved palms and pink lighting, the people with the red light in their bedroom probably worked with plants - they had sooooo many. There were a few cat ladies, for sure. The people adjacent and a few floors up definitely had kids. Little things like that build a sense of familiarity even though, I have to admit, I couldn’t tell you what most of these people look like let alone their names!


Same but different………

Focussing on the aspect of being able to look into someone’s home, we cannot help but think of the residents of Neo Bankside in London and their battle with the Tate Modern. There, the residents were less able to accept the peering glances of visitors to the Tate Modern as part of life and more as an invasion of their personal space and privacy and they (unsuccessfully) sought court action against the gallery [SOURCE]. Perhaps they would have been more tolerant of the so-called intrusion had the Tate not been such a huge public attraction and just another block of flats occupied by similarly financially wealthy people?

Zoom across to Tokyo…..

Hiro currently works in a tall building in Shibuya and his office window looks right into someone’s apartment. Whilst these residents have put up a net curtain to protect their privacy, what is more interesting is how Hiro’s office impose a visual curfew by automatically bringing down the blinds in the office at around 4pm in consideration of the residents in the opposite buildings. Unfortunately for Hiro, who is far more interested in the sunlight than what his neighbours are doing, this means that he can’t see the sunset over Tokyo from his elevated position. Ah well!

Carine Thévenau

Our penchant for playgrounds is well played out on our Instagram page, we’ve also mentioned it along with a bunch of pics previously HERE. But it’s only recently that we thought to seek out other’s with a similar obsession. And that is how we came across Carine Thévenau’s beguiling work. Entitled SEASONAL ABANDONMENT OF IMAGINARY WORLDS, Carine documents aging Japanese playgrounds in rural Japan through a series of beautiful and evocative photos.

a glimpse of spacetime paused…

“Thévenau describes the neglected play spaces as a crease in an origami-like structure of spacetime, actively folding into new time frames and thus new landscapes.”

“The playscapes are either abandoned or empty due to seasonal snowfall, but the absence of life creates a space, ripe for the imagination. Although the playgrounds may arouse a nostalgic sensation, a more critical analysis reveals a portrait of place and offers us a glimpse of spacetime paused, yet actively in motion.”

Book details: ISBN 978-0-646-98252-6

INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT: carinethevenau

Notice More : Hosepipes

Notice More : Hosepipes

Is there a country in the world where you cannot buy or get hold of a hosepipe? They seem, at least to our mind and from our experience, really internationally Super Ordinary. Yet regardless of their mundanity, they just keep catching our eye!

Just what is their appeal?

Read More