there are certain places that reverberate on your heart. places in the world that feel like home even though technically they're not (though, really, what is the definition of 'home'?). spaces that are no longer a part of your life but sit inside of you, right next to that place where nostalgia lives. spaces and places which are partially affected by bad memories but the physicality of the thing itself brings you immense comfort.
for me there are many - most of them art galleries. that moment before and after everyone has arrived and left. when the lights are dim and i can feel the serenity and magic of the place. the kitchener-waterloo art gallery, the legacy art gallery, the gallery at matticks and above all else - the ted harrison studio. these are places where the silence, the smell and the surroundings make my heart feel at ease. spaces are easy for me - i find it's not difficult to connect to them. and i often wish i could visit all of my homes and see if i could capture the memory of what it was like to be there, at that age.
there aren't many places that have had the same affect on me. possibly because i am a nervous traveler, and partly because i haven't been much of anywhere at all. but victoria - victoria is a place that feels so different to me than anywhere else i have been or lived. even when i am walking down a street surrounded by buildings - i can feel that i am on an island. i can feel how close the water is - and smell it in the air. there is an energy about this city. there is a vibrance and a love for the arts that i haven't seen anywhere else. how could you not love this?
do you have spaces and places like this?
The places we find ourselves in and surround ourselves with have such an impact on our memories and psyches. I have lots of places from childhood that have had a profound effect on me, many of which I still dream about occasionally.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about the quiet hours in a gallery, too. There were many times I would purposefully be the last one working in the gallery just because I enjoyed the quiet so much. And just after rehanging for a new show, when everything is sparkly & new? The. BEST.
With us traveling so much, each place we've been carries with it so many associations and memories. I've actually just begun a series of abstract paintings based on my memories of the palette of each place we've visited. We would love to visit Victoria someday! It seems like a special place indeed.