Perth Alley Art – III

28 03 2012

I regularly walk through the Perth city centre and am especially drawn to the alleys and laneways that feature urban art. I’m not talking about the senseless tagging, obscene scribbles and outright vandalism on bins and bus shelters, I’m talking about art. Street art. I’m not advocating vandalism, I’m celebrating a medium and artist that is often misunderstood.

I love BIG art.  I love big, gutsy public art.  These pieces are really special to see.  I love to get up really close and let the whole picture consume my peripheral vision so I feel like I’m IN the picture.  I can check out the detail before pacing backwards with awkward strides to soak in the whole piece.  In – out, big – small, piece – whole, detail – entirety. I love it.

Unlike a gallery, there are no laminated signs saying ”Please do not touch”. There are no fancy ropes keeping me from approaching and no security guards watching my movements.  I have complete freedom.  I like to stand close and see the textures on the surface, the shape and flow of the paint, the overspray, the layers, the runs, the stencil edge, the faux holes painted for effect, the shine and highlights on the brickwork or concrete.  Glorious.

Here are some more pics I’ve found lately around town.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do – it certainly brightens up my lunchtime walk!

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Check out my other posts in this series:  Perth Alley Art – I  and Perth Alley Art II

 


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Categories : Art, Australia, Street Art

Autumn Solstice 2012

27 03 2012

I stood on the front verandah a few nights ago and captured the last of the summer sun. As we view the Perth city skyline from our verandah, the buildings in the centre of the shot act as our own personal sundial and calendar. On March 20-22 each year, the sun sets directly behind the city as it makes its way from left to right, across the horizon, changing seasons and reminding us we’re on a planet that is always moving in time, even though we are standing still.

Autumn Solstice - Perth, Western Australia (c)thesacredcave


We face due West (South to the left, North to the right) so the sun has been marching its way from the South (left) towards the city in the centre. When we moved here seven years ago, we were amazed to see just how much the sun moves across the horizon. We’d never been consciously aware of it before. We’ve watched it over the years and in our own minds, we know that once the sun sinks behind the city, the weather will start to cool and the sun will slink over to the very right of this shot where it will remain at a lower angle through winter, before skipping back to announce the start of spring.

Nature and its rhythms are so amazingly reliable. They don’t care about the stock market, petrol prices or the Kardashians. Events like the wonder of the Solstice make me want for a simpler life. My lifestyle is full of electricity, gadgets, plastic and computers yet I feel a deep desire to be more connected. I need to be more in tune with (and responsive to) the natural cycles and seasons of the earth. I’m sure that must be a good thing.


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Categories : Australia, Nature

Contemplative Photography 03

26 03 2012

What is miksang?
Miksang is an art form centred on Contemplative Photography. Miksang is a Tibetan word that translates as “Good Eye” and is based on the Shambala and Dharma art teaching of the late meditation master, artist and scholoar Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche.

Contemplative Photography
According to the Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography, miksang “is (at its most basic level) photography concerned with uncovering the truth of pure perception. We see something vivid and penetrating, and in that moment we can express our perception without making anything up – nothing added, nothing missing. Totally honest about what we see – straight shooting.“

Simplicity is not ‘simple’
What attracts me is the simplicity and purity of an object or form but it is surprisingly complex and difficult to achieve. When taking photos I can often be hindered by my internal monitor, judgement kicks in, as does photography ‘training’ and ‘rules’.  Miksang frees me to be totally captivated with a vision and express it, just as it is, no judgement, no formula or rules, no arrangement or post-processing. It is raw beauty. I start to see things in their purest sense with a mind that is relaxed, open and free.

If you’d like to find out more about Miksang, check out these links:

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My weekly Monday Miksang Offering to you:
A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don’t know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox’s or bear’s, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there.
- Meister Eckhart

See my previous Miksang Monday posts on my Contemplative Photography page


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