Remember The Path
Third in the Voices Of Our Ancestors series of monochrome standing stones/stone circle landscapes inspired by working on the mural wall for Southsea Coffee Co. (**see earlier post).
The breadth, depth and range of metaphors that stem from the idea of the path is staggering. From ancient well trodden tracks under foot to the neurological pathways that physically form our imagination and memories in the brain, to vast intercontinental motorways, pathways are a physical manifestation of something passing this way. The existence of a path increases the chance of something else following in those footsteps.
Paths give structure to space and open up that space to possibilities. They present us with choices. Paths lead and follow; connect, bypass, pass through, provide safe routes, can be ambushed. Mountain paths, the paths of rivers and migratory paths, paths through history, paths through life. Paths entice and delineate - mark boundaries, borders and transgress. Paths open and close - paths breathe. When a new path is created, it increases our knowledge and understanding. When a path is lost or cut off, it leads to isolation, death. Pathways are as intrinsic to us as our shadows. We cannot go anywhere without leaving a path behind us - traces - evidence.
Every journey can be mapped - traced and retraced. The route from the kitchen to the bathroom, from the front door to the bedroom. Intimate journeys. Relationships. Every path is littered with way markers - signs of transience, coming and going, ephemera. Wear patterns on carpets, finger marks on door handles. Some are longer lasting than others, but with longevity comes change as meaning decays. Gentle shifts in paths as age dictates, as water seeks the easiest path in finding its own level.
Whichever way you go, go forward. Continuity and change.
