The Lure of Surrealism

I recently started reading “City Gorged with Dreams: Surrealism and Documentary Photography in Interwar Paris” which ought to be interesting because it’s a study of “surrealist realism”: the exploration of a real-life surreality encountered on the streets of the city. On reaching chapter three - Nadja: a ‘voluntary banality’? - I thought I’d better break off to read the book of the chapter title. I didn’t really take to Breton’s style of writing and although I enjoyed his descriptions of the meetings with Nadja the story had more impact after finishing it, first by reading the introduction (glad that I didn’t read it first) and secondly by filling in details via a quick google and reading this essay, Trailing Nadja by poet, Susan Elmslie.

Coincidences ensued. In a box of booja-booja chocolates, the message (Boojagram No. 17) read, “Practice a reliable attitude towards fish”. I didn’t think much of it, except that it was a little odder than the usual sentiment. However, I then went out and drove over a big fish, maybe a piece of salmon, in the middle of our road and on the return journey noticed a black glove in the middle of another road. Unrelated to this, I walked past a woman who said into her phone, “I get lost if I walk around”.

Nadja by Andre Breton

City Gorged with Dreams by Ian Walker

In This Time of Heightened Security

5DWII - day three. That phrase is the excuse for everything. I thought I might try it next time I knock over somebody’s beer in a pub. In this time of heightened security… It’s bound to calm the situation instantly. Today we tried to find the spot where I took this picture in 2002 (3.5 years ago), having only the vaguest memory of a one time visit to the area. Amazingly, we found it. It’s funny how pieces of geography fit back together as you approach them.

Game

I gave up using a Palm Pilot some years ago, in favour of storing contacts in my phone but I have relapsed and bought a Zire 72. It’s a major distraction, hopefully only temporarily, as long as I can avoid downloading games. I don’t seem to play games anymore. Remember Laurie Anderson’s Puppet Motel? Is anyone making things like that at the moment?