Two weeks down, fifty to go. In a truly productive 15 days I’ve spent the new year stitching my way through the title cards for the Archetypes collection. (Yet to be released, a series of paired poems and embroidered title motifs that are made to match an ‘archetype’.) In the end, my apprehensions about typography were assuaged, and I have learnt that although more fiddly and less forgiving than more thematic designs lettering is quite achievable. My next prospective project is another embroidery endeavour, one I’m considering pairing with poetry or flash fiction perhaps to further illustrate it’s point.
Find following: two poems about the nature of humans within human society – “obscurity” and “Lining Up”; an alliterative micropoem; and an observation of interactional dynamics.
Hopefully thought provoking,
Alexei
obscurity
Can I keep it?
Would this world,
So obsessive over
Knowing,
Let me by
Unaccosted.
Lining Up
Let’s break this barrier
The notion
That a cock makes a man
And a cunt makes a woman.
The oppressive limitation
Of polarity
A hard lined binary
Stifling true expression.
Peril and perfidy. Particulars pale in placating patterns and perish prettily on paired pikes.
Social Power Dynamics
Humans are social creatures, which is great because it means we pool our resources to produce things impossible for an individual alone. But in working with so many moving parts, a smooth running machine is tantamount to success. Our social lubricant, the subtle shifts and currents that nudge our interactional styles are then vital. We all react to subconsciously acknowledged markers of authority, danger, credibility, and fear. They tell us when to back off, when to step up, what situations are likely to be unsafe, the places in and people with which we feel secure.
Our reactions help us navigate social interactions by establishing hierarchies. We automatically defer to people we perceive to be in a position of authority, those who seem dangerously unstable, and those who have more credibility than us. And others respond the same way to us in turn. “Knowing your place” is not about degradation, but rather stability/security – good environments create good people. A settled position, with meaningful work and supportive leadership allows for the best in people to be brought forth.
Thus, the diving of who fits where, who is alpha and who is beta, is carried out in minute shifts of tone and body language. Subtle signals of confidence or uncertainty, of intention and trust exchanged below and above conscious thought. Gut feelings and baser instincts provide the basis for our decisions, our direction and our sense of satisfaction.
Alexei Vimpani 