A Note on John Berger’s ‘Hold Everything Dear’
This past December, I read my first John Berger book. It was his classic ‘Ways of Seeing’ and not unlike many other artists before (and most certainly after) me, it did indeed alter the way I view the world and its depictions (within art, and beyond).
“To remain innocent”, Berger writes, “may also be to remain ignorant.” Berger reminds us, in the face of this, of our responsibility — towards living life not as passive observers but as active participants, scrutinising what we see and second — guessing what we are told. It is a reminder that is not just helpful, but may very well be (and especially in our current times) about life and death. It took some researching before I realised that the quote ‘A Plot, Hatched By Two’ is too a reference to Berger (‘Hold Everything Dear’, 2007).
“Reciprocal desire”, it begins, “is a plot, hatched by two”. A desire like this one, Berger claims, is conspiracy against all the other plots of the world (be they global, economical, or inter — personal) and is an attempt to provide a relief against our inevitable suffering — threading together our joint pity and our appetite in a mesh to cover and, in time, heal our wounds.
The aim of my work is to create a consolation against the absurdity, pain, and tragedy so deeply imbedded in the fabric of our lives. It is an answer to an unspecified longing, a desire for togetherness, and a shield against our deep solitude.
It is a coming — together of two actors: me, the artist, and you, the observer, in a reciprocal relationship where our longings are seen and believed by us both — no matter the rest of the world. It is a place where both of us, albeit only for a moment, may feel at home. A plot, indeed — hatched by the two of us.
