The Art & Craft of Everyday Experience

Naomi Lord, August 2024

Mima Adams, My Name is Annika, oil and acrylic on canvas, 1.5m x 1.2m.

The current exhibition at Creatives Now, titled 'Everyday Intimacies,' celebrates the intricate details of everyday life. The exhibition, curated by Manchester School of Art graduates Mima Adams and Hazel Stileman, features a diverse collection of artworks, including paintings, prints, and drawings that capture moments from street scenes, domestic life, and familiar landscapes. It also includes casts of found items and textiles that embody the ritual actions and fabrics of our habitual environments. This collection prompts us to reflect on the importance of these everyday moments and why they matter.

French essayist and novelist Georges Perec wrote,

“What speaks to us, seemingly, is always the big event, the untoward, the extra-ordinary: the front-page splash, the banner headlines... Behind the event there is a scandal, a fissure, a danger, as if life reveals itself only by way of the spectacular, as if what speaks, what is significant, is always abnormal. [But] how should we take account of, question, describe what happens everyday and recurs everyday: the banal, the quotidian, the obvious, the common, the ordinary, the infra-ordinary, the background noise, the habitual?"

Perec's observation challenges us to consider the significance of the mundane aspects of life. In a world that often prioritises the spectacular and the sensationalised, 'Everyday Intimacies' invites us to shift our focus to the poetic details of our day-to-day existence. By paying attention to these moments, we gain a deeper understanding of who we are and develop an avid interest in the everyday experiences of others.

Turning our heads to listen, empathise, and seek to understand the similarities and differences in others' experiences is crucial. These actions weave a social fabric of kindness and consideration. We must sweat the small stuff, treating everyday small acts as radical actions that can, for instance, transform micro-aggressions into micro-kindnesses. The fine-tuning of societal architecture lives in these details. There is an art and craft to living well together, an art and craft to navigating our interactions in a manner that is both appreciative and discursive.

By attending to these everyday intimacies, we recognise that the seemingly insignificant moments are what truly shape our lives and communities. The 'Everyday Intimacies' exhibition at Creatives Now is a testament to the beauty and importance of these moments. It encourages us to celebrate the ordinary and find meaning in the habitual, reminding us that these are the interactions and sensibilities that build a compassionate and connected society.

So, as you explore the exhibition, dwell in the details of everyday life depicted in the artworks. Reflect on how these moments resonate with your own experiences and consider how they shape our collective existence. Then, take that depth of action with you and craft it into habit.

References

Perec, Georges. Species of Spaces and Other Pieces. London: Penguin, 1974.