Though we can’t change what it is that we are noticing, we can change our ability to notice. (…) When we cultivate our awareness, we are expanding the universe. — Rick Rubin
Rangitoto is always there, at the backdrop of every Auckland scene, drawing a landmark, a characteristic contour across the horizon. I noticed it when we first landed in Auckland. What’s that dark volcano-shaped thing that keeps popping up in the background from almost every angle? There is an interesting duality in this city between landform (Rangitoto Island) and urban form (Sky Tower), co-existing in every view of Auckland.
After months of planning this day trip, we finally visited Rangitoto Island and hiked to the summit. We wanted this special trip to coincide with the pre-Christmas season, so the Pohutukawas - commonly known as New Zealand Christmas trees - would have been flowered and the landscape would be tinted in red. The 16th of December turned out to be the perfect day and the best weather we could have asked for: it wasn’t too hot, there were some sun spells, and it wasn’t raining.
Looking back on the Rangitoto Island day trip and the constant presence of this landmark in the background of the city, makes me reflect on backgrounds and backdrops.
An interesting visual exercise is to consciously pay attention to the background of an image. Our eyes will be naturally drawn to the figure, to the foreground, and will even construct the backdrop as a blurred mix of shades. The relationship between figure and ground is an ever-going challenge to our perception - some artists, such as Sergio García Sanchez, have tamed this relationship in their drawings, using the powerful duality between the two as their signature style. This New York cover is a great example: Sergio inverts the classic perception of background and figure, with the background becoming the foreground that tells the story, whilst the figure becomes the edge as a backdrop that delimits the image.
Ultimately, it comes back to paying attention to what’s not that obvious in plain sight. As Rick Rubin writes in his book ‘The Creative Act: A Way of Being’, everything is always there:
In the same way, regardless of how much we’re paying attention, the information we seek is out there. If we’re aware, we get to tune in to more of it. If we’re less aware, we miss it.
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Happy sketching!
Ana