Thursday 18 July 2013

The Photograph

The exhibit was a muddle,
A clutter of metal, alone in a room.
Shadow and light gave effect
But eye and brain struggled for more,
 What meaning should we take away?

An icon of two feet,
An instruction to stand there
And "use your camera".
Unusual, and breaking
The normal 'showpiece' mode.

What was confusion,
simplified into message:
"It is not chaos".
The camera's lens
Brought clarity.

The eye had failed
To see the truth,
We had seen what was
And not the space between,
Mess, had deliberate form.

How often we think we see,
Know, understand, empathise
Only later to find the facts
Other than what we thought.
Space brings its own shading.



Republic of Azerbaijan Exhibit
 Biennale Venice 2013