Ways of Seeing, Ways of Seeking Light
“Light must come from inside. You cannot ask the darkness to leave; you must turn on the light.” — Sogyal Rinpoche
I am very thankful for all the conversations that have started since I created this newsletter. Thank you for the warm messages and the support. Special thanks to Harry, Anca, Joy, Jonathan, and Kev.
Speaking of gratitude, on Thursday, I experienced my first-ever Thanksgiving dinner, which was quite special as it was hosted at a stranger’s home in Amsterdam. Nicole, the host, prepared a Thanksgiving dinner with an Australian twist, as she is originally from Melbourne.
During this occasion, I met four incredible women whom I would have never met otherwise. We explored topics such as 'where do we belong?', the difficulty of finding meaningful and paid work, and the beauty of appreciating the simple things in life.
Exercises in Seeing
“Because each photograph is only a fragment, its moral and emotional weight depends on where it is inserted. A photograph changes according to the context in which it is seen: thus Smith’s Minamata photographs will seem different on a contact sheet, in a gallery, in a political demonstration, in a police file, in a photographic magazine, in a book, on a living-room wall. Each of these situations suggest a different use for the photographs but none can secure their meaning.”
Susan Sontag
This Week’s Curation
On Light
Gianni Berengo Gardin is an Italian photographer who has worked for Le Figaro and Time Magazine. Considered an artistic heir to Henri Cartier-Bresson, like Bresson he has long used and admired Leica rangefinders.
On Mentorship
Anna’s thread on mentorship is so satisfying to read.
On Ways of Seeing
On Public Art
Light Weight O O’Connell Street, Auckland, NZ
"The 2.4m circular object gently pivots, offering its natural and built surroundings back to the viewer through light and reflection, catching the eye close-up and at a distance." You can read more about this public art project here.
Sometimes, you need the ocean light,
and colors you’ve never seen before
painted through an evening sky.
Sometimes you need your God
to be a simple invitation
not a telling word of wisdom.
Sometimes you need only the first shyness
that comes from being shown things
far beyond your understanding,
so that you can fly and become free
by being still and by being still here.
And then there are times you want to be
brought to ground by touch
and touch alone.
To know those arms around you
and to make your home in the world
just by being wanted.
To see eyes looking back at you,
as eyes should see you at last,
seeing you, as you always wanted to be seen,
seeing you, as you yourself
had always wanted to see the world.”
―David Whyte,Pilgrim
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this week’s curation. As always, you can book an intro call with me here (just to say hi), or you can share your flânerie-stories with us on The Flâneurs Project.