On meaning making by excavating my brain

reflections from earlier today at the museum where my brain exploded with ideas and I fell asleep next to a stranger

I’m joining you from a late evening after a slow weekend.

Recently, instead of facing the burden of writers block, I’ve been blessed with an abundance of thoughts and ideas.

My brain works in links and threads, jumping from one idea to the next and building a giant weaving map between different concepts and I think this has been my block and struggle. One idea easily multiplies beyond the reasonable limits of a Substack post!

Today for example, I saw 5 exhibitions at the MAAT (Museum of Art Architecture & Technology) in Lisbon and each one stuck with me in a small way that I want to document. Initially this small documentation was in the form of a sentence:

1 - a calling and reminder to take up space
2 - the pattern and practice of consistency
3 - dedication to times of playfulness
4 - consistency throughout the mundane
5 - otherworldly peace

But of course, all the links and ideas I found within each exhibition unfolded as I spent time remembering my experience of walking through each of them.

Enjoy the following ramble and insights into how my brain works.

1 - a calling and reminder to take up space

Group exhibition called Procissão

‘Assim na terra, como no céu’ the evangelical voice in my head has a shit tonne of stuff to say on this phrase just in general, never mind when its hand sewn into leather (synthetic). With all it’s symbolism to the struggle between flesh and spirit.

Translated to ‘On earth as in heaven’ this rallying cry holds a different weight because it’s placed in the centre of an exhibit centred on the legitimisation and recognition of madness and “Mad People”.

I recently read the book How To Go Mad Without Losing Your Mind by La Marr Jurelle Bruce and some of the parallels between both these works are very compelling. It’s causing me to shift and expand my perspective on humanity, it’s limits and who gets to decide what these socially accepted definitions are.

2 - the pattern and practice of consistency

Group exhibition called Hoje soube-me a pouco

I was a little lost in this exhibition, so the only place I found to ground myself was in this giant wall full of small oil paintings.

I appreciated seeing the simplicity of some of the lines and figures in them - the faceless Kings Guard for example. For me it acted as a reminder and encouragement to crack out the oil paints and allow myself to focus on small scale works rather than daunting myself with a big sheet of canvas.

3 - dedication to times of playfulness

Exhibition called Nosso Barco Tambor Terra by Ernesto Neto

I’ve enjoyed the giant ring in the centre of the MAAT the most when it’s given over to something interactive and playful for a group of people. Something about trying to make music and harmony from a bunch of strangers of all ages in a room together feels freeing.

This experience brought to mind a few things I reflect on often:
-the need for playfulness to create art
-the work of a causewayed enclosure to gather and connect communities temporarily

4 - consistency throughout the mundane

Exhibition called the days are numbered by Daniel Blaufuks

In this collection, the artist developed polaroids documenting daily life amidst the mundane moments of every day. Most of the polaroids depict the same breakfast nook, but over the course of the year expand into a polemic on life, politics and friendship, collaged with social commentary to news clippings and other images.

In this, I appreciated seeing how the project evolved over time from the initial simple polaroids as the artists increasingly found his voice through this specific journey and collection.

5 - otherworldly peace

Exhibition called Mar Aberto by Nicolas Floc’h

I’m not the strongest swimmer, diving still sounds terrifying to me, so I don’t often encounter real life experiences of admiration for the ocean. More than just the moments of enjoying a quick swim in gentle waters.

Instead I rely on stories from a wild and wonderful friend of mine who recently went diving and encountered sharks, and also art like in this exhibit, to remind me of the vast and unexplored world beneath us.

The images in this exhibit ranged from all shades of the Tagus river; from brightest blue into the deepest reds and greens, to strange dark rocky formations in the water that looked like it could be new planetary forms and dust which looked like stars.

I could have stayed here for hours - and not just because I had a little snooze alongside total strangers. I like being reminded of how small we are and how limited life is. Finality is comforting.

Perspective means I can do things sharing this very unprepared post a little more easily.

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The time has now turned from late weekend evening into earliest minutes of the next working week! Ima post this quick and sleep so my colleagues have a reasonable version of me in the morning…

If theres a thread your particularly interested in, let me know so I can expand on it in a future offering.