It struck me the other day that many of my photos seem to emphasise places to be alone in a busy urban environment. I’m not talking about loneliness but more solitude or somewhere for yourself. A place to be yourself, do or think what you want; a place for yourself rather than shared, or invaded, by others.
An irony is that many such places are often in the midst of crowds, sometimes surrounded by other people in their ‘own’ place.
Of course, you do not have to actually own the place; you can just be there for a few minutes, a couple of hours or maybe a day or so. The point is that while you are they, others will recognise that that is ‘your’ place. Other people will be reluctant to interrupt you and will respect your privacy,… so long as you respect the privacy of others while you are there.
I love those small round tables you find in coffee shops (I have nothing against square ones). These are individual tables where you can place your coffee, a bite to eat, and also spread out your writing pad, laptop, iphone,… or whatever other device you wish to use. Stick on a pair of headphones and, there you go, you have your own personal space in which to work, write, or just relax.
The other day, I measured one of these round tabletops. It was just under sixty centimetres in diameter. There you are; sixty centimetres of personal space which is yours while the world and society meddles on around you. Bliss in an urban scape.
But (can I start a paragraph with ‘but’?) why is such a personal space important? I have often heard tales of young people, young couples, young families, living at home with parents and siblings. Having little time to themselves, little opportunity to get away, being constantly meeting the needs or avoiding the demands of others. This leads to stress and a loss of identity for some, if not many. I have heard say that some people find the only time they can be by themself is on the toilet or in the bath.
So in our modern busy society, finding a space, even a little space. Finding time, even a little time, for yourself becomes important. Even if that time and space is only an hour spent in just 60 centimetres of space.
