The things we see in pictures — and the things we take pictures of — are usually the big moments that aren't representative of our lives. We have pictures of graduation day, not sitting in a classroom. We have pictures of a fancy dinner, not the cubicle we spend our days working in. We take pictures at weddings and birthdays, not when we're out running errands.
This weekend I got a reminder to pay attention to the mundane. There are interesting, beautiful, and transformative things waiting for us if we just look.
Barry Goodman's current work focuses on seeing the potential and beauty of the everyday. People make a fuss over the decorative tiles that cover showcase buildings — the offices of elite government agencies, the mansions of powerful old families, and former monasteries. The vast majority of buildings in Portugal aren't covered in these azulejos. Most buildings are covered in mass produced tiles from less celebrated decades — like the 1960s and 70s — along with things like air conditioning units, cable wires, and laundry lines.
Barry has been photographing these more common style of government buildings, homes, and religious buildings, editing the photos to create fascinating geometric collages, and printing them on tiles. The pictures seem to transform as you get closer or move away, as details emerge or recede into abstraction. The things we overlook can be things we celebrate.
It's a reminder beyond just architecture. We pay so much attention to the big things, it's easy to forget the small stuff. The everyday moments we share with a neighbor or coworker. The satisfaction of a chore well done. The joy in noticing a bird flying above you or the way the light hits things just so. The way your day brightens when you hear the crunch of gravel that means someone you love is about to come in the door.
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Thanks for including my article in your links. Always an honour. I love your take on ordinary moments that leads this week’s offerings. It reminds me that I’ve tried countless times to photograph or film the way a breeze runs through long grass and it glitters in the sun.