Archive | November, 2011

I was a bit chocked when I happened to see this view the last day of my stay in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in Camargue in the south of France. It’s not exactly what I’m used to see in the streets in Sweden.

As a modern, swedish person, I am disgusted with even the idea of killing animals for fun and the macho air around it. And I would love if all bullfights ended as in the Disney movie, where the bull Ferdinand wins in a non-violent fight.

Well, In the evening I went to the Couchsurfing meeting in Marseille and among many others, I talked with a nice guy from Arles. He was very interested in bullfight and knew a lot. In Arles they have the “real” fights where the bull is killed, in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer it’s more of a game. For him real bullfight is an art, the matadors are skilled sportsmen and they train for years before they are allowed to meet their first bull. He talked about the beauty and the respect. The sharpness and the fight between human and animal.

I listened to him, saw it from his point of view. Connected back to my twenty years of aikido training. The sword practices, the beauty in controlling a deadly weapon, even if it was a wooden sword. That sharpness, focus, presence. The deep connection with your partner, one field, one body moving in a tightness that only can be compared with lovemaking.

Then I thought about the meat industry … mostly not very much of connection and beauty there … guess that is why they don’t butcher in public …

So, surprisingly when I feel into bullfight
Under layers of traditions and spectacle
I can sense a quality of life and death connection
between human and animal
A quality that is very rare in our modern society

A connection that, in an other form,
the form of love and heart
is desirable
and needed for our common future on planet Earth

What do you sense?

The view from my room in the little house, just outside the village of Vico in the mountains of Corsica.

I’m staying with Brahmani, who I met at an integral, internet course two years ago,

It’s wonderful here.

I’m not in the mood right now to write any deep thoughts.

So just enjoy the pictures and listen to your own thoughts!

Or look without thoughts, if you can ;-)

There are pink flamingos everywhere in Camargue, in the south of France. Just hanging around most of the time. Not nearly as active as all the tourists …

Went to a “Parc Ornithologique” where it was a bit easier to get closer.
They really are impressive birds.

Whom is watching whom?

There is a lot one can think about bird parks. Mainly I think it’s a good idea that we meet. I’ll write more about this in an other blog post.

I also have a lot of thoughts about nature photography. What exactly does the three first picture of flamingos do with your relation to flamingos? A fun picture using the birds to create a pattern and maybe a laugh. A traditional picture that shows how the bird look like and some surroundings. And a backlight photo with glimmering water and reed creating a feeling that is only seen in the camera.

When I step into the role of a nature photographer I easily distance myself from being present with the living creatures I have in front of me. I create pictures out of them. Turn them into a flat square with all the lines and colors in the right place …

Nice cup of coffee while looking at the egrets.

Respect!

A wild one …

Went for a walk in the center of Arles. Saw all the figures of animals and started to take pictures.

Look trough them and reflect about what you see and feel. Do that before you read my comments. This is important! You can only see them with your eyes before you get my view. Don’t miss your own perspective!

What are we really relating to?
To the animals or our images of the animals?
How many layers of symbols and interpretation are there?

Can you see the layer I put there as a photographer?
And the layer I put there as a writer, by asking those questions?

Trough witch pictures do you connect with the animals as animals and in which pictures are the animals mainly a symbol of an aspects of the human nature or culture?

And how does this extensive use of animals as symbols influence our way of relating to the real animals? Can we see a wild bear without also see a teddy bear?

Can we see without interpretation? Or is it true what Krishnamurti said:
— The day you teach a child that a bird is named ‘bird,’ the child will never see the bird again.

I’m really curious to hear what you see and think about this and I would love to read your comment on it!