6/20/2012

The unbearable lightness

21



translucent,
whisper soft...
five layers of hand dyed cloth
held (momentarily) by a single pin.


   We all need somebody to look at us.  We can be divided into four categories according to the
   kind of look we wish to live under.  The first category longs for the look of an infinite number
   of anonymous eyes, in other words, for the look of the public...
   The second category is made up of people who have a vital need to be looked at by many known
   eyes.  They are the tireless hosts of cocktail parties and dinners...
   Then there is the third category, the category of people who need to be constantly before the eyes
   of the person they love.  Their situation is as dangerous as the situation of people in the first
   category.  One day the eyes of their beloved will close, and the room will go dark...
   And finally there is the fourth category, the rarest, the category of people who live in the imaginary
   eyes of those who are not present.  They are the dreamers."

~ Milan Kundera, from The Unbearable Lightness of Being



Although I wrote (what then seemed quite profound) a notation along the margin of the page,
I did not understand this quote when I first read it in my mid-twenties...
nor did I understand that lives can be shaped by irrevocable choices.

The summer solstice has arrived
and a few frayed edges are lining up...



21 comments:

  1. fantastic image. Not sure I understand the quote either, but I do understand irrevocable choices made! Hope all is well where you are :)

    Amelia.x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am up against some interesting times, Amelia...as happens to all of us...and I find great solace in working with cloth and see so many parallels there to life in general.
      Thanks for your note, for visiting.

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  2. I understand the quote and don't think I can identify with any of the categories though I know many that do...I am in my own category and only wish I had known earlier in life that choices are irrevocable with consequences.

    I know frayed edges and as I age, the fringes are finally shorter.
    xx, Carol

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    Replies
    1. oooh, Carol, that is so perfect: "I know frayed edges and as I age, the fringes are finally shorter."
      If I think on it, I'd have to say (overall) I agree....I only wish they seemed so at the moment!

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  3. am fraying at the edge myself...and reading that quote wonder whether i should be commenting [let alone blogging] at all...hmm

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    Replies
    1. Frayed or not, continuing is a must, I'm thinking. But I have my own doubts, too, India.
      The symbolism that cloth provides keeps the hands going and my heart follows along, even at times when it's not prone to ~ that can only be good. Funny, I was going to end my post with the line, "The summer solstice has arrived and has found me with a few frayed edges." Then I changed it, thinking that sounded too dark. Now I see that my true meaning is understood (read through the lines?) anyway.

      Your work ~ your voice ~ is more important than you may know.

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  4. that sounds ominous.
    I hope you are well my friend. xo

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    1. Jen dear, thanks for that. Flattened in an odd way by the recent b-day...the age...passing of time...watching the (irrevocable) decisions of others. So I'm using a technique that's worked well for me in the past ~ put it all into my work. And glorious summer playtimes with eight paws!

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  5. A single GREENHEADED pin... purpose? I often choose the colour and kind of pin quite carefully, seems to pinpoint the direction things are going to take...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heike, do you recognize that beautiful silk you dyed? It is the central component on this piece.
      I've never paid much attention to color of my pins, usually chosen quite randomly. Or maybe not???
      To use your theory, perhaps I am moving towards "green"...greener pastures? verdant times?
      OK. That suits me just fine ;>}}

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  6. what a beautiful photo of your process, love the quote and all the words spoken with deep heart here
    Namaste

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    Replies
    1. Mo Crow ~ thank you for this,
      as sometimes I must gulp a large dose of courage to hit 'publish.'

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  7. lovely image.. and the words are wonderful.. I have not read that book and so I appreciate the introduction to his words. I love the definition of a dreamer.

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  8. That book has been on my "too read" list for awhile, I have seen the movie. Frayed edges, yes those happen. Hope things mend soon.

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    1. If you are at all like I am, Deb, it is difficult to set aside the visuals from a movie to let the written words truly percolate. In the case of this book, its content is quite different (more depth) from what came across on the Big Screen...at least it was for me.

      And as for frayed edges, some are just the permanent landscape and the new ones will soften with time.

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  9. what a book!
    what a cloth
    and yes if you read the book, the movie is well..different.

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    1. Different, yes, I guess as movie interpretations always are. Generally for me, disappointing if I've already read the book. Some movies are an exception ~ but not this one.
      ❤ to you.

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  10. I suspect a life without fraying is a life not lived boldly. Hard times pick away at life's smooth seams. Yet we must wear our days like a well worn and fraying wrap about us that feels still strong and warm.

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    1. Some days I don't know if I have any smooth seams left!
      Nah, that's probably not true, if I really think honestly about it...and I do know that for all my self-indulgent whining, my life is so very, very good. I love your sentiment, "lived boldly"...as I do not often feel that's how I live. You've provided food for thought, Nancy.
      Many thanks.

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  11. I have always felt living life is bold. It is the hard part of the journey. You ahve raised food for a long meal here. Perhaps we'll supp together some more.

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