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Seeking
Beauty CYM
© 2013 Marius Hogendoorn, Utrecht, Netherlands Uitgave P.O Box 10 013, 3505 AA Utrecht, Netherlands Titel Seeking beauty Ondertitel CYM Trefwoorden beauty, research, culture, Wales, United Kingdom ISBN 978-94-92009-05-0 (print: hardcover) 978-94-92009-08-1 (print: paperback) NUR 600 Issue 1 Concept & text Marius Hogendoorn Design Marius Hogendoorn, Frans Willem Pompe, Eva Spierings Text edits Simon Hodges Illustrations Opening : Int Schüssler, paintings (www.int2art.nl) Chapters : Marius Hogendoorn, photography Appendix : Katja Wentz, wall hanging (www.kirvani.com)
© 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an automated file, or published, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. Despite all the care taken compiling this book, the publisher and the author shall not be liable for any damages resulting from any error in this publication.
Seeking beauty | in Wales |
Marius Hogendoorn Publication on the basis of
“Beauty is the battlefield where God and Satan contend with each other for the heart of man.� Fyodor Dostoyevsksi
Preface This booklet is the result of a study involving 258 inhabitants from Wales . They answered questions about the wonderful but often complicated word 'beauty'. Questions are often more important than answers. With questions something begins and opens. An answer can only close. This is all the more so when it comes to the phenomenon of beauty because it is about the most personal subject that exists. What does it tell us when we know that 27% of the Welsh population finds something that has already been used is better then something new? It is certainly informative, but what attitudes lie beneath the statistics? When it comes to beauty, statistical knowledge about "the average" Welsh man or woman might be interesting for a few, but often no more than that. Beauty is about what touches us. Our attitudes to it therefore show our differences. It is precisely this diversity that is central to this book. From trains to trees and from birth to death: everything has its own beauty, it appears, according to "us".
"The Welsh Beauty Tree ' Composed of 28 images of the participants in Wales version of the Beauty Project. They show their personal imagination of beauty.
1. Opening
1
2. Beauty
7
3. Experience
11
4. Danger
23
5. Man - Woman
33
6. Time
43
7. Happiness
53
8. Essence
61
9. Hope
67
10. Together
77
79
Appendix
1. Opening
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2
On thinking Thinking happens by itself and is sometimes difficult to stop. We think of something, then of something else, then of something else and something else. Is this what we want? Do we want to endlessly solve the puzzles presented to us by our brain? Do we play enough with our thoughts? Do we positively choose, for example, something that we like to think about? Perhaps we could choose something that evaporates all other thoughts and makes our heads stand still? We could think of something beautiful, just by itself. At the risk of stating the obvious, but no less true for it, thinking of something beautiful makes you happy. It can also lead you to appreciate the beauty you already have. To dwell on what we see as beauty is giving time and attention to what is really important in our lives . Our answers to the questions hereafter offer us a mirror of what our lives are mostly about.
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Organisation The questions in this booklet are for you to answer. They were also submitted to 258 inhabitants of Wales. Their answers are processed in four ways: 1. The figures sketch the broad lines and offer numbers and percentages that tell something about "the state of beauty" in Wales. *) 2. The participants’ own words that are given in all disclosures to open questions. Here, the specific wins over the general. The key words are used in the illustrations in word clouds, the complete answers are contained in the symbols presented. A smartphone or tablet with scanning application and internet can open and expand these, using the QR codes. You can then see all the answers embedded in a cloud. 3. The images that were uploaded to say what words cannot tell. They are processed throughout the pages and in the 'Beauty Tree´ in which the contents is shown. 4. And finally: the sounds. The QR codes in the note symbols contain links to online clips. They give access to music fragments that participants considered as exceptional examples of beauty. *) In the Appendix the exact responses are included.
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2. Beauty
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In language It is just a word. But it is a pretty popular word. Nature lovers, artists, priests, politicians, hairdressers and nail salons, everyone talks about it and in doing so talk about themselves. And we like it, because even though taste cannot be disputed, we are never tired of talking about beauty. At least, we hope so... Because if we are without it, life can be quite difficult. Sometimes even painful. It is a rather 'broad' word. It embraces anything and everything. Perhaps because of that it is a bit unclear. What remains of a meaning when we all differ on it? Perhaps it is better, then, that we do not get our hands dirty with penetrating the meaning of beauty. It is simply too vague. Vague yet stupidly popular. As one advertising specialist put it, it is "a whore of a word, it asks to be abused. Everybody wants have his own way with it." But it is not a useless word, its uses will not be exhausted any time soon. The "abuse" rather seems to be increasing. It is time to take an inventory.
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3. Experience
11
12
¶
To know and to know otherwise We know all about the beauty of science, but there is little we know about the science of beauty. Such a subject would be difficult. Science prefers well enclosed circles of knowledge. Perhaps beauty is slightly too boundless. We can of course delve into a piece of the pie. For example, art history talks about the history of artistic creations. Aesthetics allows the philosopher to think on the essence of art. Social sciences provide explanatory food for thought. Evolutionary psychology asks whether our brain is especially attracted to things that have to do with our survival and social psychology looks at the role of beauty in human interaction. For sociologists beauty is fascinating, especially when it comes to the social impact of the standards that people use for beautiful. And then we have the biology, and mathematics. And even the philosophy of science. Because is not knowledge itself also beautiful?
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¶
What is the most beautiful thing you experienced last year?
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Which two of the following forms of beauty comes closest to what you regard as the most important in your life? 1st 2nd choice o o beautiful clothes o o person / partner (e.g. a 'handsome' partner) o o person / partner (e.g. someone with a good character) o o house (e.g. beautiful things in your home) o o mechanical things (e.g. car) o o art o o mementos / memories (e.g. photos) o o symbols (e.g. small statue, precious stones or amulet) o o jewellery o o food or luxury foods o o music o o knowledge (such as studying or books) o o nature o o sport o o travel o o silence o o other, namely: ...
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4. Danger
23
“Let beauty surprise you.” In memory of John O'Donohue. (Irish poet philospher)
Beauty, a puzzle. A stand-still, sit-down and take-your-time book. With questions where only your own answers really fit. ‘Seeking beauty | in Wales’ is about the meaning and experience of the difficult but powerful word 'beauty'. What is it about and what does it do to us? These and many other questions about this fascinating phenomenon are central to this book. What are our own answers when it comes to the role of beauty in our lives? Who dares to start out on this quest? This book gives a series of challenging intersections, such as: "To what extent do you believe that you can influence the degree of beauty in your life?" and "Does beauty lead to happiness?". Our own answers to these and many other questions that are asked show how we live our life. Because that is what our own idea of beauty shows us: a mirror. 'Seeking beauty | in Wales’ came about thanks to the cooperation of 258 Welsh men and women: their responses are included in this publication. They show how Wales deals with beauty.
ISBN 9789492009081
9 789492
009081
This publication was made possible by the generous support of NETQ Netherlands and SSI Benelux. www.seekingbeauty.co.uk