the door - the threshold

A blog is such a good way of developing threads of thought and ideas and layering reponses upon responses.

I do not see myself as religious - but being brought up in a jewish household brought some interesting experiences, that as an adult and artist raises philosophical and spiritual questions within my work.

In relation to my earlier posting concerning hospitality I have threads running through the blog concerning the table, the open door, the guest, the stranger, the other, the threshold.

The door - the threshold, the welcome, rejection, whether to enter?

The comic character; the phantom stranger remains nameless and his origins are never revealed - In Wim Wenders, film Wings of Desire, the viewer is introduced to the angel, which hovers over Berlin. An angel that transcends the barriers of east and west, that understands the inner workings of human beings, their thoughts and emotions. They appear like us as they wander, they take on a role of guardian angel, comforting the dieing, touching those determined to kill themselves.

When my grandfather died, my mother described a recurrent dream of a man in a black cloak appearing at the foot of her bed. His head was bowed and she couldn't identify him. She described him as like the Sandeman Port figure on the bottle. She talked in a matter of fact way about these dreams, never appearing fearful of the figure that appeared to her.

The Sand-man was a story Hoffmann, heisa man who comes to children when they won't sleep and throws handfuls of sand in their eyes, puts them in a bag and takes them to the half-moon as food for his little ones who sit in a nest with hooked beaks like owls, and they pick childrens eyes out with them.


Roy Orbison
A candy-colored clown they call the sandman
Tiptoes to my room every night
Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper
Go to sleep. everything is all right.
I close my eyes, then I drift away
Into the magic night. I softly say
A silent prayer like dreamers do.
Then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you.
In dreams I walk with you. in dreams I talk to you.
In dreams youre mine. all of the time were together
In dreams, in dreams.
But just before the dawn, I awake and find you gone.
I cant help it, I cant help it, if I cry.
I remember that you said goodbye.
Its too bad that all these things, can only happen in my dreams
Only in dreams in beautiful dreams.