Transcendental Meditation

[Fred Berg]

Hi, Fred

Not to pick at it, but why did you call this TM?

I wish the depth of field was deeper, so as to get the entire rim of the bowl in focus.

I gave it the title Transcendental Meditation because this is a bowl that, when struck by the pestle shaped hammer, rings out and is intended for use whilst meditating. After getting this photo back from the lab, it occured to me that by turning the image through 90° the new perspective had a strong effect on my perception: I felt compelled to stretch out my left hand to stop the hammer from falling. This made me think back to college and our investigation and study of world religions, and it seemed to me that TM seeks to use meditation to achieve a higher awareness and alter the perception of the world in which we live. This in turn lead me to the thoughts of Arthur Shopenhauer (himself quite influenced by eastern philosophies) on reality and perception and how our point of view alters the way we shape and understand the world. This in turn brought me back to John Hedgecoe's book The Art of Colour Photography and the idea that by changing our angle, or point of view, the visual information is altered and how these changes can influence our perception of what we are looking at. Hedgecoe was the inspiration for taking the photo in the first place, as I wanted to balance the colours as he suggests.

Transcendental meditation levitates....
Such meditation needs emptying your mind from all personal filth so that it can be filled with Wisdom Supreme...
Intellection analyses where as meditation synthesizes....(pestle stands for intellection where as this has to stop before realization comes)
I felt all these looking at this image and enjoyed it

Thanks, Frequency. I am very happy that my photo moved you so much.

I felt all these looking at this image and enjoyed it

While I absolutely agree with everything stated prior to the quoted, I only felt tension from the image.

Art needs to have tension, doesn't it?

I felt all these looking at this image and enjoyed it

While I absolutely agree with everything stated prior to the quoted, I only felt tension from the image.

I don't think transcendence eliminates tension, but rather allow us to accept it. There is a sense of balance with this image, despite it's inherent tension.

I also feel this is so. Thank you.

This is an unexceptional image (that, imo, is hurt by the insufficient DOF and odd framing) and the OP is attempting to give it more weight by reorienting it and by giving it a provocative title, imply some deeper sub-text.

Doesn't work for me, the image remains as it is and the title doesn't help or add.

You are as entitled as anyone to have and voice your opinions. I'm glad you felt something from looking at my work that made you think and drove you to respond - even if in a negative way.

 

[The_Traveler]

This is an unexceptional image (that, imo, is hurt by the insufficient DOF and odd framing) and the OP is attempting to give it more weight by reorienting it and by giving it a provocative title, imply some deeper sub-text.

Doesn't work for me, the image remains as it is and the title doesn't help or add.

You are as entitled as anyone to have and voice your opinions. I'm glad you felt something from looking at my work that made you think and drove you to respond - even if in a negative way.

Fred,

Let me explain how I feel a little less succinctly.
Suppose, for example, someone posts a picture of her child saying the picture means a lot to her because, if she squints a bit, the baby reminds her so much of her late Uncle Robert.

It would be clear that she is looking at the image through a range of perceptions that we do not share and any positive feelings about the picture, that are any more than objective evaluations of the image as such, are only in honor of her feelings.

Same for this post.

 

[Frequency]

Kundalini sir...

Tension is a positive sign...the thread of bondage is broken only at the zenith of tension ...you must be at the brim of its happening

 

[unpopular]

While I do think that this image does represent transcendence, I am also not sure I disagree with Lew.

oh the paradox.

 

[Fred Berg]

This is an unexceptional image (that, imo, is hurt by the insufficient DOF and odd framing) and the OP is attempting to give it more weight by reorienting it and by giving it a provocative title, imply some deeper sub-text.

Doesn't work for me, the image remains as it is and the title doesn't help or add.

You are as entitled as anyone to have and voice your opinions. I'm glad you felt something from looking at my work that made you think and drove you to respond - even if in a negative way.

Fred,

Let me explain how I feel a little less succinctly.
Suppose, for example, someone posts a picture of her child saying the picture means a lot to her because, if she squints a bit, the baby reminds her so much of her late Uncle Robert.

It would be clear that she is looking at the image through a range of perceptions that we do not share and any positive feelings about the picture, that are any more than objective evaluations of the image as such, are only in honor of her feelings.

Same for this post.

I fail to see what this has to do with my photograph. Indeed, unless what you are stating is that you only consider objective points when viewing and considering visual art, I'm not even sure that it makes much sense at all. I think this must be what you want to get across because of what you have underlined (correct me if I'm wrong); but as I have already touched upon in my response to Designer, this image is not about the thing in itself as Kant might have called it but, rather, more about how the thing is perceived (hence my allusion to Schopenhauer on top of the mountain and how the point of view external alters the perception internal).

The photo was intended to challenge, or at least question, our conventional way of seeing things by offering another point of view. Most of the people who've responded seem to have appreciated this, but, of course, how individual people respond is subjective and no real indication of the success or failure of the piece. Nevertheless, it does seem to support more the notion that the work does not have to stand wholly on its own than the idea that it must provide its own context.

I'm very pleased that the photo has generated so much reflection and discussion.

 

[timor]

Absolutely agree with you. I think this photo is an efect of very proper use of your camera in conjunction with your imagination. Obviously it steps aside from common path. May everyone learn something from it.