Heroes Not Zombies

I took this first photo in Japan and the second in Spain. These are two very different aesthetics, each emerging within a different culture.

The first image is fundamentally asymmetrical. There is symmetry. The sliding paper panels on each side of the window create a balanced structure, but all the other elements are individual and unrepeated. Yet the whole image holds together. There’s a sense of balance, but it’s a dynamic one.

The second time image shows elements which are multiply repeated. Each individual archway is symmetrical and each archway is repeated in every direction.

I find both of these images deeply attractive. They are both beautiful. The fact they are so different from each other is a clear demonstration of the richly diverse creativity of human beings – individually and collectively.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you’ll know that one of my favourite phrases is “and not or”. There’s a lot of energy around which seeks to create bitter divisions amongst us but the counter to that is respect for difference, acceptance of difference. And the promotion of diversity as a fundamentally good and valuable quality.