Looking and seeing (2)

Through our eyes we can look and observe the world around us. Sometimes we use a painting, filmscreen or photo to focus on what we should see and avoid the noise around it.

Three years ago I saw the work of Job Koelewijn at de Pont Tilburg. He put a container at the entrance. You could go inside and sit on own of the cinema seats. You were looking through a big hole that looked like a screen but was actually an open hole in the container. What you saw was the street with ‘life streaming’ film. Only than I realized that I just kissed goodbye to my boyfriend and that the person who was sitting in the container had a beautiful scene.

This story came into my mind after a Zen meditation at the Shunko-in shrine. In Kyoto they focus the eye by opening and closing the shutters (soji) so that you can make the scene of the garden you would like to show or look at. Simple and elegant, but more strictly. People kissing you would never see here.

Job Koelewijn, de Pont Tilburg 2008

Shunko-in Temple

Katsura Villa