Let's Reframe: By Degrees

Creativity & Climate Action

1/29/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Elias Sime, Detail, Tightrope: Infatuation, 2015 at The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
The re-imagined Hood Museum of Art re-opened
​last weekend at Dartmouth College.
​Among the treasures, I saw
this work by Elias Sime.
Undulating. Pulsing. In motion. 
Alive. And yet it's made out of castoff
motherboards, toxic contributors to multitudes of e-waste.
Picture
Elias Sime, Detail, Tightrope: Infatuation, 2015 at The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
And yet the city he envisions is "a sprawling ecosystem
of form and water." It's a huge work, covering a
wall. Is it a tile mosaic? Is it marble?
No. It's a captivating vision of
what's possible when we see beyond
what appears toxic and allow  beauty to emerge. Bliss.

Picture
El Anatsui, Hover, 2003 at The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
And then, on another wall, in the same gallery, this.
El Anatsui's "shimmering tapestry" evoking
material flowing in a breeze, but no,
it's a carefully constructed compilation of
bottle tops and copper wire. Garbage comes to life. 
Picture
El Anatsui, Detail, Hover, 2003 at The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
So when I got home with this week's buckets full  of
compost from Umpleby's Bakery & Cafe,
I was startled when I saw this.
Lemons. Lots of lemons.  
I hadn't planned
on taking any photographs, but who could resist the vibrancy?
Picture
Compost lemons from Umpleby's Bakery & Cafe, Hanover, NH
That's how it is for me. Apparent waste evokes joy. There
is possibility. I wonder if that's what Elias Sime
or El Anatsui were thinking? Or not.
It's just what happens when creativity and
climate action converge at the compost pile or anywhere.

Picture
What have you seen or experienced this week
that evokes joy or invites creativity? Let
it happen, when and wherever
it may. It's magical and life-giving and for
me, makes the world a much more interesting place.

Happy January my friends.

​
0 Comments

Walt Whitman Inspiration: 2019

1/6/2019

0 Comments

 

Happy New Year!

Picture
Excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost"
I've never
embroidered before,
but I decided to embroider
excerpts from Walt Whitman's
poem "This Compost." While he may
have written about dead corpses following
the American Civil War, I re-imagined
his words and considered waste
instead, and the power of
the earth to renew
herself again
and again.
Picture
Embroidered excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost" by Evelyn R. Swett
We have that
same power. Every 
January 1st to begin again.
Whitman's is an optimistic poem 
reflecting our innate American optimism.
I celebrate this poem not just because
2019 is the 200th anniversary of
Whitman's birth, but also
because his message
is more important
now than ever.

Picture
Embroidered excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost" by Evelyn R. Swett
My individual
stitches might be uneven
and the text written on an old pillowcase
may be awkward, but seen from afar, the colors
are bright, cheerful and make me want
to smile. Optimism is all I know.
So here we come 2019,
on stitch at a time...

Picture
Embroidered excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost" by Evelyn R. Swett
I launched
my online climate
'coaching' class
and am
petrified. What if no one is 
interested or needs what I have
to offer? But I show up, 
one week, one stitch
at a time and
know it is
good.
Picture
1995 sheepskin fleece washed for the first time in 20 years!
I came home
from Mexico to find
that my anxious dog had
peed all over the sheepskin rug
I stand on to write these blog posts.
Frustrated? You bet. But what's a gal to do?
A few squirts of soap, some aggressive
massaging of the fleece and some
patience while it dried was all
that was needed. This is
what I tell myself.
New Year. New
ventures.
Patience.

Picture
Compost, Hanover, NH By Evelyn R. Swett
So here we are.
It's 2019. The UN Climate
Report says we have twelve years.
Our job is to show up, support each other and
get the job done. For me, that involves
persistence and patience and a 
whole lot of bravery as
I creatively try new
things. What
about
​you?
Picture
Embroidered excerpt from Walt Whitman's Poem "This Compost" by Evelyn R. Swett
"Behold this Compost! behold it well!
...What chemistry!"

-Walt Whitman
0 Comments
    Picture
    Lyn Swett Miller
    ​
    reframing the narrative, one day, one image at a time
    Picture
    compost re-imagined
     Let's ReFrame: By Degrees
    A place where photographer Lyn Swett Miller considers wonder, joy and transformation in a complex world.

    Archive

    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018

© Copyright 2021
Evelyn R Swett Photography
All Rights Reserved