When I was an art student, I had a chance to study the world art history. In the thick, almost encycorpedia size textbook, I found a photograph of a mosque (or mesquita in Spanish) in Cordoba. I think I read some backgrounds about the place then, but only thing that impressed me and remained all these year in my mind is its design. The arches of red and white stripe. I thought that design was real cool and modern, or in the term popular in the early 1970s, “far out”. I liked it very much.
After many years, the impression still remained, but somehow the association between the arches and Cordoba faded completely in my mind. Then, I was finally in Spain, traveling with a group of tourists, visiting places one after another with little time to appreciate each one of them. When my group was in Cordoba, I was just following the group. Another world heritage stuff, I thought. Our guide showed us the orange garden in front of the mosque, and then we were led into the building.
There, in the dim interior, the arches, a forrest of them, came into my view. I was suddenly overwhelmed. “Hey, I am here, where the arches are. I am actually seeing them now. They are here! ” That was what I said aloud in my mind then. I just stood still, wordless, looking around and around, admiring the design…
After a while, the initial sensation gradually subdued, and I started taking photographs. And I relearned the history of the mosque, Reconquista and all.
2 comments:
kuni
old publicity hound
nice to see your name
be nicer to see you
the alien life form
There is a novel (and movie) called "High wind in Jamaica" It was written by a man who was a babysitter for the great scholar and poet Robert Graves. It is a much beloved story especially by psychotherapists be cause they make their living in the zone between who a person is and who a person thinkis they are, or who they have convinced us they are.
The plot of the story concerns two children who are kidnapped by pirates - but instead of crying and missing home - they think it is all a marvelous adventure - including the nasty things that pirates do.
and I think of this because there is one scene where the girl, who's about twelve or so looks at her arm against the wind and realizes it is part of her and that she is really there.
Come to think of it the irony is that the scene appears in a book but then again it would be impossible to convey that moment or to prove that it did or did not happen
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