Splash No. 175 - Observation
Observation
Picture this: a young Nikhil, pre-spectacles, eyes the size of dinner plates. Across the room, the CRT TV plays another re-run of Spongebob Squarepants. Later, the same image, except Spongebob is replaced by a video game being played by his older brother Neil. The young Nikhil discovers that nearly everything that seems important can be uncovered by watching, observing. It’s learning English from the TV and the preschool teachers, it’s learning video games from Neil, it’s playing tag after sitting on the side of the playground for the first few weeks. “Let’s wait and see” has always been a valid option.
And so I’ve always held a keen eye for the minor details, sharpened by a shy disposition and an insatiable curiosity. People watching and eavesdropping could be my family’s national sport, the way my mum and I can share partially constructed stories of strangers’ lives after sitting a table away. And why not? It would be a shame to leave all of the spare words that they left in the air, all the clues in their tone, and suggestions in their clothes. In observation, we make more use of a moment, as a mundane conversation can fuel a stranger’s imagination, building new worlds based on guesses alone. If a couple has an awkward first date and no one is there to mentally note it while eating their gnocchi, did it really happen?
Beyond the sport of being nosy, there’s simply always so much to observe! Do you know how many stories lie in your friends’ bookshelf? In the selection of snacks in their cabinet? How much are we leaving on the table without truly looking at the rings on each other’s fingers, the rings under the eyes, the word choice when the doorbell rings? Could someone tell which books were gifts? Which snacks used to finish within days but now grow stale? That they stole their phrasing for answering the door from another?
When I used to look closely at objects in my life, I would figure out how they work — the mechanism in the stapler, how the grocery store conveyor belt moved, the screws in the walls. I decided that my search for understanding meant that I needed to learn how to make them, that I’d be a great engineer to create new things to be observed. That perhaps it wasn’t enough to just observe, that there needed to be something more to it. Nowadays, I don’t think there needs to be much more at all.
What Viktor Shkovlsky said, “Art makes the familiar strange so that it can be freshly perceived. To do this it presents its material in unexpected, even outlandish ways: the shock of the new.” Sometimes all that it takes to make the familiar strange is to look at it long enough or to have someone who has looked at it long enough point out the strangeness. Maybe I should try it, or maybe I already have been. Maybe I’ve been doing this the whole time and I didn’t realize until I really looked at myself. And maybe I have some more observations to make.
Drops of the Week
ALBUM - The Melodic Blue by Baby Keem - I'm a bit late on this, but Baby Keem (cousin of Kendrick Lamar) dropped an absolutely incredible album recently!
ARTICLE - "Poetry is experiencing a new golden age, with young writers of color taking the lead" by Leah Asmelash - "It is an amazing time to be alive in the world of poetry"
POEM - "All My Friends Are Finding New Beliefs" by Christian Wiman - just a lovely poem
With each day, we can move closer to a more equitable world. Reminders:
Donate to Help Afghan Refugees Settle in NorCal Mutual Aid Networks
Anti-racism resources
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Stealing glances,
Nikhil