I decided to do a photo journal of my day today. All these pictures are from the British Museum, but they chronicle my day chronologically (I did not necessarily see these things in this order, and it is about what happened before, during, and after my trip to the museum). It is open for your interpretation, but I did not just select these randomly, and I had decided to do this before I took these pictures, so they are intentional in just about every way. Enjoy!
5/29 – In my head or Everything is Illuminated
ReplyDeletePhoto 1 – Rosetta Stone – This represents multiple languages. Particularly for me, that pictures can convey the same things as words, or that photos are just a different way to say the same thing. Not to mention this is a monumental post. :)
Photo 2 – No nose guy – My allergies were bad today, as they have been everyday, and I always find out right when I step outside and sneeze several times. I have still not taken allergy medicine because I convince myself that I don’t need it everyday. Life would just be better without a nose (but definitely incomplete without my allergies).
Photo 3 – No hands lady – The museum exhibits were almost all ‘no touch’. I felt like I could not use my hands, that it was just as if I had no hands. And it really does seem like a disability, like it is not normal to not touch these things (and I did see many people touching them anyway). I had to come back to get this picture and I almost did not because I lost track of time. The perspective of her towering overhead suggests how imposing this restriction seemed to be (although I expected it in a museum).
Photo 4 – A head – Along with the no hands lady, the museum was almost only a head thing. I was able to use my eyes ears and brain, but that was about it. The museum is very much a heady thing. I kind of got myself in the reflection of this shot superimposing myself on the head, but not where the head should go on my body, instead it is in the middle – it is the center of all I did in the museum. Also, I purposefully did not crop out the other heads that creep in – it is all a head thing the museum is. Also, I purposefully got a head of someone who wasn’t really famous to represent the normalness and lack of importance of myself and most of the people who were in the museum (to my knowledge).
Photo 5 – Greek jugs – I was thirsty all day, especially in the museum. I found a couple of ways to express this since I got thirsty frequently. But it was a good thing because I finally drank as much water as I should be drinking. But it was funny too, because I snuck drinks since I did not know if I would get in trouble for doing so. These jugs represent an abundance of water that I wish I had. Also, they represent the fact that people have tried to encapsulate history and stories in general and especially in images. In general reminds me of the museum, and how it fails at conveying a lot by doing so. In images reminds me of my own project here, which I am sure will similarly fail in conveying the real meaning of my day. Pictures without anything inside, without any context are often useless as these decorative jugs are empty (or even more meaningful than any words could be?).
Photo 6 – Egypt and people – When I got to the Egypt room I was overwhelmed at the amount of people there. It was especially startling because I had just come from the Asian rooms which were quiet and almost empty. These crowds were large and threw me off balance a little. I tried to capture this in the blurriness and business of the photo. (I definitely tried to get this photo the most – I had the most failed attempts to really capture this). I wanted a good contrast in an Asian room, and tried to go back later, but I had lost track of time and it was closed, so I contrasted it with the following Asian photo that I had luckily taken, although it doesn’t represent the peacefulness I was going for.
ReplyDeletePhoto 7 – Asian guitar – The other thing I wanted to contrast with Egypt was how much more beautiful I thought the Asian exhibits were, and how that added to my surprise at why the Egyptian exhibits were so popular. I thought both were interesting, but I do not understand so many people’s fascination with Egypt. This picture also represents my desire to play guitar that I have had the past couple of days. I also thought about including a picture of a drum that I took, because I also want to play drums, but this will have to work for both. I especially wanted to take some pictures of some jade art that they had in the Asian rooms, because I found it especially cool and beautiful, but I tried too late.
Photo 8 – Water wheel – Again, this was meant to capture my thirst. I thought it was especially revealing in the fact that it was broken and could not transport water if it tried. Water being there but not reaching it source is a lot like my continual thirst that just would not be quenched. Also, there is kind of a degradation in a cycle, which can interestingly be compared with the second to last photo of a complete and continuing cycle. I was doing the same thing over and over again, yet it was continually broken up by new information and new experiences.
Photo 9 – Stone chair – In addition to being really thirsty, my feet and legs also got really tired. There were much less seats/benches here that in the art museums and I really wanted to sit down. This chair seemed to just taunt me, especially since it has a sign, which you may or not be able to see that says “Please do not touch the objects.” This also kind of characterizes my time here so far. I feel like I have really wanted to sit and just relax, but I continually push myself on to do more and see more and I just wear myself out. But, in the last two days, I have been more conscious of this and I have been taking more time to just sit, especially in the parks and enjoy life. Stone chair also reminds me of the stone table in Chronicles of Narnia – the place where Aslan was sacrificed. It seems that one of my main areas of sacrifice lately has been the need to just sit – to sacrifice my time and business and to rest in God’s presence, in His chair, at His table. And the fact that it is stone shows that this is not a comfortable thing for me at first – it is at once inviting and hard. Nevertheless, in this confessional and repentant-al part of my day, I decided that resting was more important that seeing everything in this city.
Photo 10 – Watches – I really liked this watch display – there were a lot of really cool ones. Right when I got in it a clock chimed and really scared me and scared some ladies beside me even more. But the watches were cool (and reminded me of Sylar, which also reminds me that I saw a girl wearing a t-shirt today that said save the cheerleader, save the world. You’re welcome Robert). Also, the watches clearly represent time – and the fact that I was bound by time in the museum. And the face that I lost track of time even though it was all around me. I ran out of time to do all that I wanted to. It seems that I have really scheduled out my days lately too. And way too much. There is such a freedom I experience here, but I restrict myself by time. Nevertheless, I would be restricted by time ultimately anyway. I feel like I am just going around and around with this whole time thing…like a clock maybe?
ReplyDeletePhoto 11 – Chessboard – When I reached this I realized how much of a game I had made my time at this museum and all others. I try my hardest to find the best route through the exhibits and the best ways around people. It is a very strategic experience for me. Also, I continue to wonder if what I am doing this week is really more than a game. Is there any real meaning in all this sightseeing? Does there need to be? Is it okay to just play the game? And ultimately is there a difference between the game and what I will be doing the rest of my time here. Also, in all my time here in London, I have been over-conscious of making “the right move.” I don’t want to stick out (as a tourist, although so many people here are tourists), and many times I want people to think I am a native. It is like I am a white pawn strategically placing myself right in front of the black queen, trying to fit in with the line of other black pawns, but knowing that I will be found out and admonished for even thinking that I could be other than a measly white pawn, and especially for thinking that I could have taken on the black king as such.
Photo 12 – Tree of Life – This is actually a really cool display at the African exhibit. It is about Mozambique-ians who have handed over weapons in exchange for tools, and I guess some guys then made this sculpture out of weapons and bullet casings. I thought it was really powerful and definitely represented a transformation. I myself experienced the transformation of leaving the museum and even the hectic streets to find rest in Regent’s Park at the end of the day. The tree also reminds me of the park and the beauty of this part of London, that I definitely enjoy much more than the streets and buildings. There was a peacefulness that I experienced at the park and really transformed my day. And I finally got the rest that I know my body needed after standing and walking the whole rest of the day. Not to mention by this time my thirst had subsided. But still, this renewal and rest and life seemed to be built only on the fatigue of the beginning of the day.
Photo 13 – Image of Christ from Hinton St. Mary – Basically, this was the real basis and catalyst for my rest that I experienced later in the day. Also, it represents the prayer time I had in the park, which was really good. I still find most of my comfort and fulfillment in the day through prayer. Also I am trying to see God in everything I do and everywhere I go here, mainly because a new mewithoutYou song has been stuck in my head (from their really great new album – It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright) “Allah, Allah, Allah.” So Jesus was kind of on my mind a lot even though religion was not a huge part of the museum.
ReplyDeletePhoto 14 – Butterfly picture – This picture really stuck out to me. I don’t really remember where it is from, I think it was in the Asian wing, but not necessarily in an Asian exhibit (if that makes any sense). But the cyclicalness of it really stuck out to me kind of capturing what I had done all day in going from room to room and following the same basic pattern. Also, I felt that I do the same thing everyday in waking up, going out and tiring myself out, (lately, going to a park) and coming back to write and watch TV. Not that that is bad (and I don’t mean to say in any of this that tiring myself out is always a bad thing), it just is what it is (which I also heard that phrase from someone today, lol). I think it is important that there is rebirth in the cycle somewhere. Of course, this is also contrasted by the waterwheel earlier. Also, in order for the butterfly to become what it is, it has to emerge from what is comfortable (the cocoon). I feel like this is what I have to do here – step outside of what has been comfortable all my life, what I have quickly established as comfortable here. Also, it seems to me that this is at least one aspect of the emerging church, for good or bad, - emerging from what is comfortable. We’ll see if that hypothesis holds true in the weeks to come.
Photo 15 – Six African Things – I added this at the last minute, not really intending to use it at first, but it fit as “What I learned” (hence my putting it at the end). I bought a bag of potato chips at the store today (which was my first time at a grocery store here and lots of fun, I also bought fruit, so don’t worry mom and dad, and chocolate). But, the bag of chips – it was kind of big, so I figured I could use them as a snack for the next couple of meals. Anyway, I did not really read the bag, and when I opened it there were more smaller bags of chips inside. This surprised me at first, and I realized that that is exactly what I bought, 6 individually wrapped bags of crisps. But it works out excellently because I do not have a clip, so now I don’t have to worry about them going stale! Anyway, that also reminds me of my lack of preparation/reading (especially with maps). I may not end where I expected, but it almost always works out for the best. By the way – today I still walked before I really knew where I was taking myself (but not for a lack of looking at maps this time). And I did not have to double back any! And I only took the longer route once, but it was in the park and worth it.