Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Connections . . .

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Over the past months I've been realizing to an ever greater extent that blogging is about making connections. Connections of all sorts. Yesterday I was out all day, from dawn to dusk as it were, first seeking out the WWI gravesite of the great uncle of a friend back in the USA, and from there going on to visit a curiously decorated church which had been the subject of a post on another blog seen recently. Both of which places shall be the subject of postings here shortly.
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While out on that dual mission, hazard took me on several side detours, as I hate just driving through places, but prefer to get out and walk and look. Open to going up side streets just to see what is there. On one of those detours, I came across this pair of hands . . . a pair of hands which had connected. I couldn't help but think of the hand posted on the Floating Bridge of Dreams a day or two ago, which you can see here . . .
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44 comments:

Álvaro said...

Interesting point of view. Nice shots.
Greetings from Spain.

CiCi said...

Holding hands is one of my all time favorite things to do, so seeing a photo like this makes me smile.

mythopolis said...

I thoroughly enjoy connections I've made via blogging. Did you ever see any of that series hosted by James Burke? "Connections". Essentially about the inter-connectedness of everything. I love the sculpture of Gustav Vigland. It seemed all about family and people connectedness.

Catherine said...

what beautiful reflections....and connections...Greetings from mexico where nothing much is happening beyond World Cup Fever right now!!

Steve said...

Such emotive shots... so much louder than words...

Plum' said...

Deux mains enlacées, coquillage ou coffret qui renferme un trésor...La délicatesse de la sculpture, des mains de pierre vivantes.
C'est très émouvant.

Jo said...

Your photos are always lovely.

Happy Tuesday from one of your connections in Vancouver. :-)

The Pliers said...

What a lovely carving of entwined fingers in marble. Very touching. It's nice that you caught them and took the time to share them with us, Owen.

Owen said...

Many thanks Alvaro !


======================

TechnoB, if this brings a smile, then that is ample praise indeed. I was listening to the old Beatles song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" while working on this, which made me smile too...

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Mythopolis,
Yes, I do recall the Connections show from long ago, there was even an early game for PCs based on that series, which I looked at way back when, while still trying to figure out PCs and the internet in the early days... don't know how we could have grown up without all that...

Thanks for the reference to Gustav Vigeland, wasn't familiar with him, but went to have a look, wow, there are alot of pictures of his work out there !

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Catherine,
Thank you so much... and by the way, what is this "world cup" thing ?
:-)

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Steve, a picture is worth a thousand shrieks, right ?

Owen said...

Chère K'line,
oui, des mains qui se tiennent créent un espace magique, un geste sublimement humain, même en pierre, sur une pierre tombale, le cas échéant... unis pour l'éternité. Je suppose qu'ils ont planifié la chose de leur vivant, en amoureux...

Owen said...

Jo,
No how did you know that I have other connections in Vancouver ???
:-)

Fred Herzog for starters...

Owen said...

Dear Pliers...
There was something very moving about these two hands, ethereal, fluid, floating in their lightness, their almost unbearable lightness, despite their being carved in stone, they seemed on the verge of taking flight...

Another bit of stonework for your frencher half...
:-)

Catherine said...

ps Owen - have just escaped the world cup to do a post you may well like very much - rust, junk and freaky dolls - waht more could you want???

babbler said...

Owen,
Although we slugs do not have hands or fingers, we do intertwine in a lovely and loving way, much like these delicate fingers are doing. Both Mr. Slug and I found the photos enchanting and dreamy! We should like to take a slide on this statue in the future, it looks so very smooth and nice. It has that milky whiteness found at the leaning statue of Piza. Mr. Slug and I found the slide up the side of Piza to be difficult, yet rewarding. Unfortunately, we were asked to exit the premises before we got any good photos - we left too many slime trails on the historic monument! (I personally think the silvery trails add something to the overall look to Piza, but we are lucky to be free slugs after the incident!)

I would like to know what the faces of these two looked like, I can almost see the expression, the eyes gazing longingly at each other, the toes touching under a dinnertable covered with crispy greens....Ahhh, it is perfection indeed!

Mr. Slug and I eagerly await the following posts of your walkabout, er, slideabout!

Clytie said...

I can see why you included the link to the Floating Bridge of Dreams. The black and white, the somewhat graininess of the photos ... very similar feel.

Most people would have included more than just hands, but I really like the focus of your shots.

Lynne with an e said...

Handy dandy!

Amy said...

We're all a little connected I think.

I like the angle on these photos...

Lydia said...

There is a softness to the images that seems to defy the medium. Beautiful.

Speaking of blogging connections, my blogging son from Philippines is here in Oregon visiting me! One short video posted so far....very busy and will post images and more thoughts end of the week/weekend. Amazing that this could not have happened a decade ago....less than a decade ago...

Plum' said...

Owen,
Oui deux "gisants", mais leurs mains demeurent vivantes, ce geste est si beau, intemporel...
Un très bel exemple de connexion...fusionnelle.
Bises

French Fancy... said...

We're all holding hands here through our blogs. What coincidences though, Owen - eh?

Dee Newman said...

Your lantern show is truly magical . . .

Alistair said...

Ok Owen,

Sign me up. You got me.


Beautiful shots.

regards....

Roxana said...

Oh, Owen, again - you leave me bouche-bee (how is this in English? :-)


how wonderful - holding hands - strong, eternal stone hands as opposed to my floating mirror hand... friendship and love, solitude and longing - all metaphors condensing the human destiny...

thank you!

Lone Grey Squirrel said...

I think life is all about connections too and blogging a tool to help us do so. Great thoughts and ideas. Look forward to the rest of the photos from your wanderings.

Owen said...

Hi Catherine,
Glad you could escape the WC, errr, the World Cup, whatever that is, and do a great post about that bizarre sculpture you found... you know by now how much I enjoy crazy art like that... Thanks !

babbler said...

Owen,
I just saw the flooding in Southern France, I was wondering if you and your fellow slugs are alright? I do not know exactly where you slide in France, but I became concerned when I viewed the photos of the flooding. The streets and bridges and old buildings look so much like the wonderful places you visit. Even slugs do not like that much water. Please let us know you are nibbling happily on a dry leaf on a high branch somewhere safe.
Thanks,
Mrs. Slug

Catherine said...

Deux mains qui se sont cherchées avant de se trouver, qui se sont effleurées avant de s'enlacer...un langage du geste qui dit "garde moi, comme je te gerde", une pression répondant à celle de l'autre, une caresse en entraînant une autre...
Ton plan serré est saisissant, il me "parle" comme il interpelle le passant, il raconte leur histoire.
En passant devant, aurais-je arrêté mon regard sur ces seules mains ? Ou aurais regardé la composition dans son ensemble ?
Merci d'avoir eu ce regard sur ce détail de la pierre, tu en as saisi toute l'émotion, Owen.

Owen said...

Dear Mrs & Mr Slug,
It is with the greatest pleasure that I read your kindest of sliding messages here, I feel as though when you appear that we are perhaps attending an important trans-species diplomatic function where ambassadors from the world of slugs rub shoulders and share slime with members of the humanoid species, and it is a very rare and privileged occurrence.

Yes indeed, I am sure, quite sure, you would have enjoyed sliding to your slug hearts content (slugs do have hearts, don't they?) across these large expanses of milky white marble, which were practically carved with a slug's sliding pleasure in mind... no sharp edges, soft curves everywhere... you would have been right at home. And plenty of good green grass around to nibble on should a slug work up a bit of an appetite and start feeling a bit nippy after a long night of sliding, sliding, sliding...

And yes, I shall remember that you have asked to see the larger view of this couple, certainly, there are a couple of other photos which show the "big picture" as it were, they will be coming up shortly... there is so much backstage in the wings waiting to come on stage and into the spotlight... but do check back regularly, I have taken note, and the photos are already "blog ready" to publish.

Ah, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa sounds like quite an exploit ! Or was it Pizza ?!? Happily you didn't fall from the giddy heights of the leaning tower. But then I guess slugs' clinging powers are far stronger than us mere humans...

A bientôt dear Slugs, happy sliding...
:-)

Owen said...

PS oh, Mrs Slug, just saw you second message here, and thank you so much for asking. Mr Toad and la Grenouille (Mrs Frog) live in the north of France, north of Paris even, and so we are quite far from the flooding that happened last night in the southeast. They got the equivalent of a normal 6 months of rain in one night ! We are fine, but I am quite concerned about a blogging friend Clo, of Photos Sans Cibles, who lives in one of the hardest hit towns, Draguignan. I'm writing her tonight to hopefully hear that she's ok... And yes, I bet slugs don't like that much water... unless it is sea slugs in question...

Owen said...

Hello Clytie,
You could say that Roxana at the Floating Bridge was inspiration to me to bring out the grain a bit in these images. Her work is truly beautiful, and over the past year or so I have often been mesmerized, entranced, by the bewitching qualities of her images and poetry. I did start with a couple of wider angle views of this tomb, showing the entire sculptural work and setting, but quickly realized that the real energy here was coming from those clasped hands, and zoomed in on them, got closer to them, and took these last two shots. Very pleased that you like them. As Mrs Slug, Babbler also asked, I will get around soon to posting the wider angle views of this sculpture, it was quite remarkable...

Owen said...

Dear Lynne,
Short but sweet... guess you are busy packing, or perhaps already off and on your way ? Have a wonderful trip !

Owen said...

Hi Amy !
Connections everywhere. The hardest part is finding an original angle, and looking at things from several angles, trying to find one that works...

Roxana said...

i don't deserve such high praise, but Owen likes to spoil me as usual :-)

happy :-)

Owen said...

Lydia,
Best wishes to you then for an excellent time of catching up with a visiting (prodigal?) son who has returned for a while... you are lucky I think...

Our two young birds have not yet flown the nest, but one day soon they will, and then we will start learning about another phase of parenting...

Thanks so much for you thoughts here about the images defying the medium... "soft" was the intended effect...

Owen said...

Chère K'line,
C'est fou comme l'artiste qui a sculpté ces mains a capté la force tendre mais forte en même temps de ce geste fusionnel, éternel dans sa beauté, sa simplicité, sa complicité...

Je n'ai pas remarqué une signature sur cet oeuvre, mais je crois que Rodin aurait eu du mal à faire mieux avec ces mains...
Merci K'line, bloom of Springtime...

Owen said...

Dear FF,
Indeed, the gesture of reaching out across the various interconnected links of the vast landscape of the blogosphere, and finding a few which exude energy which speaks to one's heart, these are wonderful connections, and symbolically are very much a holding of hands... that first innocent expression of affection...
:-)

Owen said...

Hi Dee,
Thanks so much for dropping in here to this obscure little blog... am thrilled that anyone at all finds it magical, with the presumptious name that it carries... but if it works in even a small way for a total stranger, then I'm really walking on clouds. I tried to click through your name to a link or a blog... but nothing... do you have a blog too ?
Cheers... !

Owen said...

Alistair,
OK, you're signed up... for a lifetime subscription...
:-)
Thanks ! I like your Calvin & Hobbes reference in the icon...

Owen said...

Roxana, oh !

"Bouche bée" I think could translate as "my jaw was hanging open"... which happens to people in moments of rare pleasure, shock, surprise...

I think these two stone hands are a lovely complement to your one live hand on the Bridge... a live hand which seemed to be waiting for another hand to join it, as on the Sistine ceiling. A hand often calls out for another hand to come hold it, to massage it, to grasp it, to send a thousand glowing messages with tiny points of pressure... the human hand is a major miracle of engineering... just watching these fingers type out a message leaves me... bouche bée...

And for your second message : an artist of your rare caliber deserves to be spoiled, and if you are happy, then Mr Toad is happy too !
:-)

Owen said...

Hey LGS,
So glad to see you back in circulation, after quite a quantity of changes... blogging, like the human hand itself, is an amazing tool for sure. It is a rare pleasure to be able to meet intelligent and thoughtful people from the four corners of the Earth here in these pages...

Owen said...

Bonjour Catherine !
En fait, l'oeuvre global, en marbre d'un blanc éclatant, était visible de loin, même là où il se trouvait, au fin fond de ce cimetière, il sautait un peu aux yeux, m'attirait à arpenter les allées jusqu'au fond. C'était un ensemble sculptural assez surprenant, du genre que l'on ne voit que très rarement. Rapidement pourtant, c'étaient les mains entrelacées qui m'ont "parlé" le plus... un moment magique de découvert et surpris... et oui, un trop plein d'émotion. Un couple, parti, mais qui se tient la main de l'autre pour toujours...

Virginia said...

So tomorrow we meet in person. I think you are correct, blogging is a wonderful way to meet new and interesting and talented people. Your photographs are so sensitive. I hope we can find a location for photos so maybe I can hang over your shoulder and learn.
Best,
V

Lynne with an e said...

Couldn't help but wonder if you were referring to myself or my comment. I know you're well acquainted with my sweet disposition but what do you know of my height? (Don't bother to answer, I'm on my way...)

Big Sis
xo

Dee Newman said...

Usually it appears automatically . . .