i have jotted down below a few quotes from the annual LIP lecture the night before last given by paul hill. he was one of the people who inspired LIP with what he calls a personal approach to photography. this is probably a lot more commonplace now but i got the impression that it was pretty innovative at the time. he showed some of his current work, the corridor of uncertainty, which was a pretty raw exploration of grief in response to the death of his wife from cancer two years ago.
i like the term corridor of uncertainty which comes from sport – the area a ball is crossed into just out of reach of the goalkeeper, or the area in cricket which makes a batsmen unsure whether to leave or play the ball. it’s a great metaphor for lots of things – i wonder what the corridor of uncertainty might be in relation to mission?… but maybe that’s a thought for another post sometime. anyway a few of my jottings are below
it’s extraordinary what you find in the most ordinary places if you are interested
learn how to see
being in the everyday – it’s a series of small adventures, a quest that never ceases to excite and interest me
we don’t spend enough time looking thinking and responding to the visual world around us
always move on
learn by doing
when you are local you pick up on things that are transitory
our photos hold a mirror up to ourselves
your photographs are your greatest teachers
objects can become something other than what they are – which is a metaphor for all photography
‘when you are local you pick up on things that are transitory’ – interesting in our wee neighbourhood group, we have had a death and two families moving recently – that has quite a profound effect on a street in a village – if we weren’t all connected locally by brunch at the weekend, none of us would have related over those huge transitions – as it is they have served to galvanise our desire to be together more and have more contact, to talk more about the smaller changes here and to recognise their importance – people seem to have a need to share together and recognise the fleeting things – sometimes we have been struck by how much they want to mark even a small moment – photographs have been central in trying to capture the meaningfulness of some of those transitory things – in a settled neighbourhood, it can be the smallest of things that are different, even momentarily, that provide an excuse for us to connect with one another and really notice – i like the phrase ‘corridor of uncertainty’ too
I think it would be definitely interesting to explore ‘corridor of uncertainty’ and how it relates to mission, and indeed to exploring Christian faith as a whole. Maybe could be a useful way to help describe the mystery and ‘grey’space we can find ourselves in….
I love that idea of being in the everyday – life as a series of small adventures
As a cricket fan I am aware of the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ and think it would be really interesting applying to tha area of mission.