In-between places
Notes
In-between places: In an essay entitled “Invisible Landscapes”, inspired by the 2018 discovery of a “new” organ within the human body (dubbed “the interstitium”), the journalist, entrepreneur and idea-connector Jennifer Brandel writes that our era is “all about that third thing that envelops the spaces between any two nodes: the relationship, the dynamic, the warm data and the energy that animates their movement, direction, and leaves everything changed through the very act of connection.”
I’m fascinated and excited by the ideas in the essay, which to me begin to offer a way out and through the confusion of “what can I do to make change,” as well as a new avenue for connection, inclusivity and reimagining how we all, collectively, can address the very difficult challenges facing us, from the climate crisis to misinformation to inequality. If you read it, I’d love to know what you think also.
Memorials: The images in this post show public remembrances of places where pedestrians and cyclists were killed by drivers on streets in my neighborhood. Earlier this month, the organization Families for Safe Streets organized a walk between several of these sites to mark a World Day of Remembrance; the Make Queens Safer group maintains a site that names and remembers each person who died this way in the borough since 2009.
The term “traffic violence” was new to me. Applying it to myself, I wonder if I could say, “I was injured by traffic violence,” instead of “I was in a car accident” or the more specific “I was it by a car,” and how, or if, that would change the way I think about what happened to me. It was a long time ago; I’m not sure it matters.
But I do think it matters to mark these places, to show: This happened. It was important. These people leave behind people who love them. The way we live now doesn’t seem to hold much room for sorrow, and I appreciate the invitation to share condolence. My images show memorials for:
Karina Larino, a 38-year-old mom killed in May, 2022.
Jaydan McLaurin, a 16-year-old killed in April, 2023.
Alfredo Cabrera Liconia, a 35-year-old dad killed in November, 2020.
A group of local politicians put out a new street safety plan for Western Queens this week. You can read it here.
Voltaire’s Candide: I didn’t go and read Candide before writing this post. But I did read this New Yorker essay from 2005, in which Adam Gopnik explores both the phrase and Voltaire’s campaign against cruelty carried out in the name of ideals. Gopnik also connects the ideas he’s writing about to the Western culture and politics of 20 years ago, writing “The realization that all may not be tending toward the best, that religious fanaticism and tribal intolerance could prevail over liberal meliorism, is the earthquake of our time.”
I’m still thinking about that, trying to connect the dots of history and ideas to understand what is meaningful for the now, and what is not. If you read it, let me know what you think. (If you don’t have a subscription to the New Yorker, you should still be able to get a few free articles before hitting their paywall.)
And, it was in this essay that I found “tend your own garden” in the original French: “Il faut cultiver notre jardin.” I’m not a fluent French speaker or a professional translator, but I know enough to understand the literal translation: “it is necessary to cultivate our garden.” Do you get lost in words, too? Sometimes it becomes like a dream for me. I am my own interpreter.
I gave $5: I was glad I had some actual cash in my pocket.
Thank you for being here with me.