As the leaves slowly turn into gold I realise how fast time has flown. Summer break feels like yesterday and even a year has passed since I picked up my professional camera again. The leaves that turn into gold remind me of how much I grown. Well is grown the right word? Isn’t it just redefine myself just looking of what I really love found old passions back, closed chapters that fit me. We mostly think we have to hold on to a lot of things. But why? Just because we think others expect us so we just please another? Just a puppet do what we think what we think that others expect from us.
So on a beautiful autumn Saturday me and my youngest son Oliver (7) when on a local art day. There was an exhibition of the local photoclub with work of grandpa and there is an exhibition in the local museum about puppets. Oliver has a big love for puppet theatre, music and art. So a nice way to visit exhibitions with a child. It always brings a different view with it.
Photoclub exhibition
Every year the local photoclub Focoss had an exhibition this year in the local art gallery K26. To be honest I don’t favour these kind of exhibitions. First a gallery and second a photoclub. Yes I love to see how others play with their camera and share knowledge. But I always have to go in “I’m a wise documentary photographer” mode. This also because of my dad is a member and love to share with proud my study’s. The second thing in a gallery people always want to argue about art with you. In a museum you can be in you own bubble without questions.
But my opinion on photoclubs and gallery’s doesn’t do justice on the quality of the exhibition. Fotocoss is a high quality photoclub the exhibition showed a small glimpse of there portfolio’s. There wasn’t a connecting theme. You can always see a nice mix of people who are only focus on technique and other focus on the art of storytelling. But beauty comes alive when someone find the mix of it. When the right technique and the story merge then magic will happen. With some of the photographer you see that mix and I hope they grow into a bigger stage.
A photoclub exhibition is not to judge their quality’s but to mirror you own to see a fast variety of photography of different levels and styles. But it’s a nice mirror to reflect your own work and focus.
Puppet Masters
In the museum Jan Cunen there is a exhibition called Puppet Masters. There where parts of the local puppet theatre but also more conceptual art. To be honest the exhibition was surprising intersecting and different than I expected. Yes there where some pieces about control of the society but also about how we see our body as a puppet.
My son Oliver enjoyed the exhibition and funny thing I noticed it how the worker keep an eye on children. Oliver doesn’t dare to touch art, but they see just a uncontrolled child (yes I keep a clear eye on him). But still they want to control a child by starting conversations. Is that how they see him? An uncontrolled puppet that needs to be controlled. Why? Just because it’s a child so it says to them: If I can’t control it, it will wrack the exhibition.
So fascinating we can walk thru art and just wander what controls us? The people in the room? They way we look to art? Our knowledge about a subject. In the end It’s just how we see ourselves is what we notice. Our criticizing eye is a reflection of the level of how hard we make it ourselves, how we challenge ourselves. Our body only listen to the command of mind and the mind only listens to the command of the soul
Helene
