The friend of my daughter got married recently. Within hours facebook was full of pictures of the event ... I had no idea who was who, yet of course the picture were of the families and friends of the person posting the pictures. I am sure all the pictures will have lots of meaning for those who were involved - and it;s got me thinking, as I return to practically creating tangible 'things' (as opposed to just trying to keep my head above the waves in the cyber-pond of frenetic info-consummation that often masquarades as communication).
We are so overloaded with the digital image, taken in the here and now, and posted for all to consume. It's often infobesity. Our ipods are full of music - but which are the tracks that move us? - those that help us remember a good time, or a difficult time.
I do worry about what we might be losing because of the age of easy consumption that we are in. Perhaps the recent return to 'austerity' helps redresss the balance between consumerism and short-termism, towards a greater sense of legacy and responsibility.
As a gardener, I'm creating a micro-environment that I hope will outlive me and will be a net addition to the universe (though I must say, it's much easier when I try to work with nature, rather than against her. So the potatoes in Provence just cannot compete with drought this year. We'll eat tomatoes instead).
And as I knit and stitch, the process of creation creates a physical, not digital end product. It's not instant gratification - click and upload - and that's the joy of it. And as a physical entity that is given to someone else, or worn by me, the artefact is enriched with another patina of meaning
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