Beauty and the Eye of the Beholder

(Ainslie's Sheep:  Les Kossatz 2001)

This is the second post I have prepared for Vision and Verb this week.  I used to be indecisive, and now I am not sure...

I live in Canberra, our nation's capital.  Canberra has famously been described as 'a good sheep station, spoiled'.  It is also widely condemned as boring.  With a capital B.  Arguable, but a persistent story.

Last weekend we went to see a very controversial artwork take to the sky, which I posted about with many, many photos here.  That artwork started me thinking (again) about what my city has to offer - its residents and/or visitors.  Our environment is beautiful.  Anywhere in the city, there is natural bush less than half an hours drive away.  We have kangaroos and many, many wild birds living in the suburbs. We nestle into a ring of hills and have several lakes to enjoy.   We have an excellent National Gallery, and an equally impressive Portrait Gallery.  We have museums, theatres, choirs, ballet and libraries.  Our last Chief Minister was strongly committed to public art, and we have a LOT of it.  In the centre of town (which is where Ainslie's Sheep live) there is at least one sculpture and/or mural on every block.  Which I think is wonderful.

However, not everyone agrees with me.  Each time a new piece of art is installed the complaints start to fly.  'It is ugly'.  'It costs too much'.  'Who chose that'...  Sometimes the complaints degenerate into personal attacks about the taste, intelligence and integrity of the politicians who commissioned the work and sadly sometimes the artists are also attacked.   Which I think is sad and bad.  And short-sighted.  And silly.

Yes, all this art costs money.  Some years we have spent as much as ten dollars for each person who lives in the city on public art work.  Shock and horror.  Some of it is confronting, but much of it is beautiful, quirky or just plain fun.  Certainly I don't like all of it, and some of it I don't understand either.  Just the same, I love that it is there.  My world is enriched by it.  Each and every piece of it.  Walking through town I smile and nod to familiar pieces like Ainslie's Sheep and enjoy the additional vibrancy they bring to the city, and to my world.

A boring city?  If you keep your eyes, your heart and your mind shut it probably is.

The River

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.

The river was cut by the world's great flood

and runs over rocks from the basement of time.

On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.

Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

I am haunted by waters.”

-Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories 

Extreme Life-Force

I got a late evening call from Na, on the last day of her involvement with the Massage Shop.

"Ray...there is this tiny black cat...just come to the shop...hiding in the plants...very hungry and skinny...girl...long straight tail...big round eyes..."

...[pause]

"Ray...I can't just push her away...she will die...what can I do?"

Clearly a firm, authoritative voice is required here from the Alpha Male of the household...

"....umh....on the way home, Na, you need to visit the Animal Doctor, get treatment for fleas, and check if she is sick, or she might make all the cats sick!"

"OK...see you soon."

Evidently, the correct voice...

So, now, Sooty has joined the family!

ye gawds! What a cat!

About the size of a tennis ball, when curled up...unravelled, an impossibly skinny skeleton on unsteady, knitting needle legs; skin sagging, like a deflated black latex balloon; enormous bats ears; eyes bulging, round as saucers, burning like they have candles inside; numerous scars on ear, scalp, shoulder and tummy; when she moves, it is clear she favours one hind leg...the first 6 weeks of her life have not been easy...

We put some food on a saucer, and place it in front of her...immediately, she stands over it, growling and eating simultaneously! In seconds the food is gone!

We repeat the process...same result!

In 24 hours Sooty eats 6 large meals, doubles her weight, demonstrates toilet hygiene, initiates contact and relationships with 4 reluctant full-grown "sisters", takes control of her humans and their habitation...

And...starts to play and exude the Joy of Living. This is her give-back.

Welcome home, Sooty!

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Our return guest today is Ray Storey, an Australian now living his second lifetime in Bangkok, Thailand.  You can find him over at Thaivillage where you can really get your education on everything Thai.  Thank you, Ray, for joining us again here at V&V.