I Hate This Digital World
Please take off your headphones. Listen to the sound waves around you. Sound waves in the air are the only way I can bring you something physical from this digital world.
Chapter 1 - In the Archives
It is quiet in the archives as you search for something… something physical? You are unsure of what you need, you feel a sense of dis-ease in yourself, in this digital world we now inhabit. Social interactions are gone, so you look for solace in the photos of old street parades. Normally you prefer photos from behind the scenes, showing how the magic was fabricated. But not this time. This time, you don’t want to know that the magic is made from tissue paper and paint, you just want to see the spectacle.
“Macnas: the frolic-like behavior of a young calf let out to grass for the first time after being kept inside all winter; joyful abandonment; dalliance; wantonness.”
You feel a lightness come over you as you touch the paper, looking into the three dimensional magic of the photographs. But there is still something missing, the paper is thin, the photos are fragile, less than a centimeter thick. This is not true physicality. You decide to leave the archives to go see a doctor for your dis-ease.
Chapter 2 - At the Hospital
You approach the hospital, cautious yet determined. You need to see someone, anyone, who can help you.
They deny you entry since you don’t have Covid, you don’t have a nameable dis-ease, even though you feel it in your bones.
Even though you can’t enter, you can still peak through the windows, listen at the door. It’s not quite what you expected inside.
“It is the unqualified result of all my experience with the sick that, second only to their need of fresh air, is their need of light; that, after a close room, what hurts them most is a dark room...”
There is an exhibit in the hospital exploring the healing properties and power of plants, from traditional herbs to modern medicine. You lean in closer to the window to get a better look at the drawings on the wall.
Suddenly, you see an artist walk along the corridors, Ceara Conway. She sings her songs, a mix of Irish music with traditional healing songs, some praising the powers of plants, some coming from Georgia and Italy. The song cycle is named Viriditas, from the Latin word meaning greening power and life force.
You still don’t know the official Latin name of the dis-ease that you have, but maybe that’s OK, maybe you don’t need it now. Something feels different inside of you. You decide to leave the hospital to walk the streets and gather your thoughts.
Chapter 3 - On the Streets
You walk the streets of Galway. It is quiet and strangely empty today, the sound of a lone busker still trying to bring joy.
You stand on the street corner, the wind biting at your face. But suddenly the sun comes out and you feel the warmth. You close your eyes, and allow yourself to dream…
Until then… I’ll see you at the parade.