Is this spooky or what? I picked up a new book, I think it was recommended to me, Keri Smith’s “How to be an Explorer of the World”. Opened randomly at P.118 and read, ‘What we need to question is bricks, glass, our table manners, our utensils our tools, the way we spend our time, our rhythms. To question that which seems to have ceased forever to astonish us. We live, true, we breathe, true; we walk, we open doors, we go down staircases, we sit at a table in order to eat, we lie down on a bed in order to sleep. How? Why? Where? When? Why? – Georges Perec!’
I was halfway through and thought, “well that would fit Perec’s philosophy” and when I came to the end, I saw his name. I’ll have to check where it came from.
Well, there are 2 Perec references in this book, but the citations are poor, so it’s not clear which is which.
- Perec, G., “life, a user’s manual”, Boston, D.R. Godine, 1978.
- Perec, G. and Bellos, D. (2008) Life, a user’s manual. 20th anniversary edition. edn. London: Vintage Books. Vintage classics. {this is the version I have.}
- Perec, G. and Sturrock, J., “Species of Spaces and other Pieces!, London, Penguin, 1997.
- Perec, G. and Sturrock, J. (2008) Species of spaces and other pieces. London: Penguin. Penguin classics. {this is the version I have.}
I think it’s the second one, as the other example comes under ‘exploration #21 p70-71 and is called ‘your favorite street’. Go to your favourite street.(If you can’t go there physically, then you can visit it in your mind.) Map it out on a piece of paper, then describe (or otherwise document) everything in detail: the shops houses street signs, trees, etc. based on the Rue Vilin by Georges Perec.
Smith’s book has lots of interesting suggestions, often from other people, on how to observe the world more acutely and form art that way. Very inspiring. Here’s one from Leonard Cohen, who apparently does/did this regularly as a form of meditative practice: ‘Sketch or document things that you use in your daily routine.‘ He also states (p.81) , ” I have always loved things, just things in the world. I love trying to find the shape of things“. (not cited by Smith – Hampson, S., “From the Archives: Leonard Cohen: Life of a Ladies’ Man”. Globe and Mail, 10th November 2016).
