Constant coincidence

posted by Molly

We as human beings are surrounded by a constant flow of information pouring through all of our senses. In order to not be overwhelmed by the amount of information available, we filter. If you’ve ever been to a huge electronics store, you know what I mean. The store can set up a wall full of TVs, all playing different channels. You can see them all, in a physical sense, but you can only concentrate on one. It’s the premise behind the invisible gorilla.

Art is valuable, especially for social movements, because it tells the audience what to concentrate on, or how to experience a situation. Coping with every day worries and joys can prevent us from thinking about the things we see. Art gives us fresh eyes. It’s a way to make the audience step back, and reconsider what’s true. Or important. Or as ridiculous as a gorilla not interrupting a basketball game.

Space and time are always around us. They define us in ways that we often don’t notice until we leave that space and time. Physical and temporal distance give us new eyes the way that art does. In college, winter in the East Bay felt cold. It wasn’t until I moved to the East Coast that I realized how spoiled I was to consider 40 degrees cold. My example is small. What can you see when you examine your space and time with new eyes? How does your environment define who you are and how you act?