Weekly Photo Challenge: Juxtaposition
From WordPress comes this Challenge:
“Wandering with my camera, I often find my eye drawn to strange bedfellows. Juxtapositions. Foils. Unexpected pairings. A juxtaposition is “the act of placing things side by side, especially for the purpose of comparison or contrast”
Of course, a juxtaposition doesn’t have to be serious. Juxtapositions are all around us. Maybe there’s one bright yellow flower in your vase of pink daisies, or you have a shot of your kids, one smiling, one making a face. Maybe you spied a vintage car parked outside a sleek, modern building, or a new car in front of a run-down house — or one of a thousand other things you wouldn’t think of until you see it.”
Hello all
I found the Photo Challenge this week rather difficult. Juxtaposition? What in the name of goodness does THAT mean?
Okay, read the explanation then.
No. I’m still not really sure after reading all that!
And then I thought of the things I had seen recently when we visited a friend on property not far from us here in the city. Weren’t the things I’d seen in the garden there ‘juxtaposition?’ (pictured below)
In fact dear friends, I can’t help but think there is juxtaposition all around us. Things that we see side by side that make us smile, or that don’t go together. A memory surfaced of something that happened at our church late last year.
We have a very ‘bush inspired’ church with the altar, chairs and other necessities on the altar made out of rough-hewn wood. The idea came from our first church which was built in 1978 out of logs chopped down on the site to make way for the church and school. It was a log-cabin church filled with suitable wood furniture etc. Sadly the church was burnt down in 1988 and we had to start again.
But, this time the parish built a conventional and larger church but added the rough furniture to remind us of what was before. And then one Sunday things changed!
We came home from holidays and noticed that a period-type ornate chair covered in white fabric had appeared on the altar instead of the rough wood chair that sat in this spot previously. How weird it looked amongst the other rough furnishings!
We never found out what happened but presumed it was a gift for our new parish priest from the Philippines (who loves ornate things) and besides, the Archbishop had visited while we were away and it was probably bought for him as it would be more comfortable than the hard wooden one.
About four months have passed since then.
It took a while, but we have now got used to seeing that ornate chair sitting amongst the other furniture. Juxtaposition alright. And now we don’t even notice it anymore! See how you can get used to anything different if you view it long enough. The eye becomes trained to see it as “the norm.”
Keep your eyes open today for juxtaposition as you go about your day dear friends and you will be surprised what you will see. Life is full of surprises if we live in mindfulness and notice our surroundings.
Enjoy my photos: JUXTAPOSITION IT IS!
Juxtaposition? Plants in a invalid pan for collecting you know what … Strange bedfellows indeed! This was taken in a little vintage shop in a little tin-pot town in New South Wales near Murwillumbah called Stokers Siding.
I was surprised by this wine bottle sitting in the middle of the garden where I was visiting. Interesting? I asked my friend who lives on the property with her daughter and she said she had no idea! Perhaps a good place to sit and have a wine in the garden after a busy day?
Loved these rainbow wellies in the same garden as the wine bottle. No black gumboots for our friend who maintains the gardens here. It is little things like this juxtaposition and the broken pot on the left that makes the garden so interesting.
Many balloons were placed amongst the shrubs at the house where we were celebrating Australia Day. When I first saw one, I was surprised and thought it was an accident … that perhaps a balloon had escaped! When I asked Pat she said her husband (who is the gardener) thought they were a nice touch and a bit of a surprise. I think so too! Note the people on the left through the bushes …
To see more Juxtaposition:
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/photo-challenge-juxtaposition/
http://butz0705.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/weekly-photo-challenge-juxtaposition/
Life with Tess 