Rope! Everything is Rope

New balance. Again rope behind a hook. Again a moment frozen in time.

In trance, in the twilight zone I realised, a couple of weeks ago, that 'Everything is Rope'. A picture, a book, a conversation, fall in love, enjoy the sun ... - there is so much more - all of them rope that hangs behind a hook. 

The moment that the rope hangs - in some mysterious and unpredictable way - behind the hook is a moment frozen in time. Living a life frozen in a selfie. A paper book printed without the possibility to edit it. We talk so much but only a couple of conversations stick in our mind. So many woman I could have fallen in love with but it had to be you. Busy making other plans and suddenly enjoy the rays of sunlight that enlighten my face.

Why life? Why do the things happen the way they happen? Why wait for Godot? How long? Answer: rope. Rope that flows, emanates or pours out. Builds. Falling apart. New balance. Again rope behind a hook. Again a moment frozen in time.

Everything is Rope! Knowing that 'everything', 'is' and 'rope' are rope too. Including the one who formulates this sentence. Including the one who reads and interprets this sentence.

Do you get the picture? Do you see what gets frozen and what not? Do you see that everything keeps on floating and that only rare moments get frozen? (Read for 'everything': 'tow' and for 'get frozen': 'tow hanging behind the hook'.) Rare moments we should cherish? And the floating that never will get frozen we should cherish?

Stained Tolkien Glass Art

I am very fond of Jian Guo's (alias 'breathing2004') stained glass Tolkien art:

Narsilion. Year 2012-2013. Source and Accompanying text 

Riddle. Year 2013-2014. Source and Accompanying text 

The wizards. Year 2013-2014. Source and Accompanying text 

Mount Doom. Year 2014. Source and Accompanying text

P.S. Given my artistic taste - check out my post March 15, 2014 - I guess it's not strange that I am fond of this stained glass art. Or is it? 

Taste of Art. Mine

This is my taste of art:

Roman glass. 1st century BC - 1st century AD. Source

Fayum mummy portrait. 1st century BC - 3rd century AD. Source

Descent from the cross. Externsteine. 1130-1160 AD. Source

Illumination month August 'Falconry'. Book 'Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry'. 1412-1416 AD. Source

Winslow Homer. 1889. Source

Numerous as Grains of Sand

I had a dream (some would say 'nightmare') a couple of months ago: using drones as air mines will change the art of airpower.

Drones are cheap and can easily be placed in a three-dimensional minefield. Randomly. Invisible. Numerous as grains of sand. Deadly. Each detonated mine quickly being replaced by a new one.

Imagine this El Alamain 2D minefield in 3D (source)! 

350 Year Old Map

Two days ago I bought this 350 year old map of Cabo Verde.

I defined a new project for me: writing a book on Cabo Verde maps between 1455 and 1975. Looking for proof on the maps for slavery and the economic use of these islands.