NORTHERN PLANNER

I enjoyed seeing the the Rose Hilton Exhibition at Tate St Ives last week.

The Beauty of Ordinary Things shows a style I like that resides somewhere between abstract and a figurative, but what I really like is the way she brings the things that we everyday back to our full attention, capturing the the brilliance and beauty in everyday life. We gloss over too many perfectly brilliant things that happen to us day in day out – like the sheer joy of a good cup of tea.

That’s sort of why I like missing Mrs Northern when either of us is away. Reminds me how I couldn’t manage without her. Or watching her affect on other people, how they can’t help being affected by her sunny disposition (in sharp contrast to my grumpy one) – I forget how lucky I am to be around her everyday. 

I’m devouring Clay Shirky’s ‘Here Come Everybody’ which to gets underneath what’s really happening as a result of our new online social tools. He mentions that internet stuff is becoming like mobiles – we’re forgetting it’s there.

I like the idea of technology only becoming interesting when the technology itself is no longer novel – when it’s so ubiquitous everyone uses it without thinking. That’s what’s happening with online social tools for the young – it’s just how they go about things. Maybe ordinary stuff is only truly great when we forget it’s there, but that’s a shame. That’s how those paintings at the start of this surprisingly rambling post – that started off as quicky – made me feel.