Daniel V. Melim: Sete-Estrelo
What unites above and below? What is a vertebral column? What is it to inherit? What is it to pray? Is the body a temple? Is there an objective measure to the size of things? What are weight and lightness? What does it mean to care for?
In the 19th Century, the illiterate grandfather of poet Herberto Helder sculpted an extraordinary nativity scene on wood. It represented the rough enchantment of the Madeiran population. From this nativity scene come the men raising their hands and and eyes towards the sky. The story of our gestures comes from faraway. We are 鈥渟tanding in the shoulders of giants鈥� (Isaac Newton) and at the same time must restart everything from the bare ground. We are simultaneously free and tied up in passionate biology. One must have strong roots, not to be quartered by daily paradoxes. My grandfather used cane roots to shape his nativity scenes. Using mashed up paper painted in brown, they mimicked the island鈥檚 orography and sometimes were big enough to take over the whole living room. A couple of years ago, I found some of these cane roots on a stone beach. They were very beautiful but had a bad smell.
What are we made of and where are we heading for? The atoms we are made of are covered by a cloud of electrons spinning at the incomprehensible speed of 2200 Km/second. That is why we have the experience of being solid, but atoms are essentially empty. The Solar System spins around the center of the Milky Way at 828.000 Km/hour, therefore the Earth travels in speeding spirals (not circles) throughout space. Yet, these mesmerizing in-definitions do not stop us from having an experience of quiet solitude when truly touched upon by an image. Touching is taking care of.
For many aboriginal cultures, the sete-estrelo constellation (i.e: the Seven Sisters or Taurus鈥� Pleiades) is at the heart of their creation myths. It is one of the constellations closest to Earth and one of the most easily recognizable. When I was a teenager, I loved stars. Now, I am taking care of roots. I am taking care of the path between below and above. To golden the roots is the most challenging task I ever dedicated myself to. The heart of the world is in our hands.
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What unites above and below? What is a vertebral column? What is it to inherit? What is it to pray? Is the body a temple? Is there an objective measure to the size of things? What are weight and lightness? What does it mean to care for?
In the 19th Century, the illiterate grandfather of poet Herberto Helder sculpted an extraordinary nativity scene on wood. It represented the rough enchantment of the Madeiran population. From this nativity scene come the men raising their hands and and eyes towards the sky. The story of our gestures comes from faraway. We are 鈥渟tanding in the shoulders of giants鈥� (Isaac Newton) and at the same time must restart everything from the bare ground. We are simultaneously free and tied up in passionate biology. One must have strong roots, not to be quartered by daily paradoxes. My grandfather used cane roots to shape his nativity scenes. Using mashed up paper painted in brown, they mimicked the island鈥檚 orography and sometimes were big enough to take over the whole living room. A couple of years ago, I found some of these cane roots on a stone beach. They were very beautiful but had a bad smell.
What are we made of and where are we heading for? The atoms we are made of are covered by a cloud of electrons spinning at the incomprehensible speed of 2200 Km/second. That is why we have the experience of being solid, but atoms are essentially empty. The Solar System spins around the center of the Milky Way at 828.000 Km/hour, therefore the Earth travels in speeding spirals (not circles) throughout space. Yet, these mesmerizing in-definitions do not stop us from having an experience of quiet solitude when truly touched upon by an image. Touching is taking care of.
For many aboriginal cultures, the sete-estrelo constellation (i.e: the Seven Sisters or Taurus鈥� Pleiades) is at the heart of their creation myths. It is one of the constellations closest to Earth and one of the most easily recognizable. When I was a teenager, I loved stars. Now, I am taking care of roots. I am taking care of the path between below and above. To golden the roots is the most challenging task I ever dedicated myself to. The heart of the world is in our hands.
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