Bird's Eye View

Sometimes getting lost is the way to be found.  I discovered that during our travel week to Italy.  I felt like I was in a dream, walking through the streets of Florence and Venice, eating my weight in pizza and gelato, and watching the most stunning sunsets I’ve ever seen.  At one point during the day while exploring Venice, we got lost trying to get somewhere, and someone in our group stumbled upon this random art museum that we decided to check out, and it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip.  The exhibit was called “Man as bird: images of journey” and it played with the idea of digital media and seeing things from a bird’s perspective.  One of the rooms had a circular couch in the middle of the room, where we laid on our backs to be able to look up at a screen.  It showed a series of clips, some showing scenes that looked like the viewer was flying over cliffs, and others close-up of things, like ocean waves coming up onto the sand.  We were all looking up at the screen, watching the same video, but seeing it at different angles, which changed our perspective of how we saw the video. 

In another room, we watched a 15-minute video of scenes from a forest, with relaxing music playing in the background.  The scenes of the forest included a variety of close-up foliage, brilliant greens, and softly flowing streams.  At the end, the video zoomed out of the forest, to reveal that the forest was just inside a small grove of trees, and surrounding it were fields and other trees.  I was left completely mesmerized.  It wasn’t just the peaceful music, or the captivatingly beautiful scenes of the forest.  It was the idea that so much beauty can be found when we take the time to look.  And it takes new perspectives for us to really see.  Looking up close.  Looking from far away.  Looking where no one else is.  Taking a moment to sit in peace and appreciate beauty from a distinct perspective brought a sense of calm that I didn’t know I needed.

Back in the first week of class, we read a few short stories by Leslie Norris.  A strong recurring motif in these stories is birds.  At the time of reading and discussing these stories, I didn’t fully grasp the importance of the birds like I do now.  In the story “Prey” the narrator describes: “hawks hang on a rope of nigh air above the scurrying traffic… I know just where the favoured vantage points are on that highway.  Often the birds… keep unceasing watching above a crossroads or an intersection, or hammer into the grass for a prey invisible to me as I drive past… I know why the hawks watch there.” The narrator describes how these hawks have their places where they stay, their vantage point to find prey.  How did the narrator know the hawks’ motives for being there?  One, I think he knew it was important for them to be where they could see clearly.  And two, he knew that it was vital for them to be removed from the crowd, so to speak, in a position where they would be aware of all their surroundings. 

In Florence, we climbed up numerous flights of narrow steps up Giotto’s bell tower, sweaty and exhausted, to finally arrive at the top of the most beautiful view of Florence I could ever imagine.  Seeing from a bird’s eye view puts things into perspective.  The same thought occurred in Venice when we went up the tower in St. Mark’s Square to see a view of all of Venice, and it was breathtaking.  The red terracotta roofs.  The sparkling blue ocean.  A city of color, of wonder.  Being up there, I felt like I could see clearly why these cities held the charm they did.  Reflecting on these moments, I wonder if I was acting as a bird of prey.  What was I hunting for? I suppose I was looking for a view I couldn’t get anywhere else, and I did. Experiencing those views from new heights made me feel the rush of adrenaline that perhaps those hawks feel when they have found their prey.  I felt like I was truly living. 

Though the story “Prey” focuses on the nature of predator birds, I wish to make the connection between birds in general and people.  “Man as bird” is a concept that I took away from not just the museum, or just from Italy, but from all of my travels so far.  Getting to see views from up high, from a different perspective than what we normally see every day, is powerful.  In another story by Leslie Norris, “A Seeing Eye,” a man is asking for directions to a hidden pond, and is told “My advice is to find your own way to places.  Then you don’t ever forget.  You know every leaf of the way, every stone, every blade of grass.  Find the way for yourself and keep your eyes open.”  I think this is great advice, especially to keep your eyes open.  Throughout my travels this summer, I’ve found myself always on the go.  When possible, I try to stop and appreciate what is around me and notice the small details, from the yellow and lavender fields in Kent, to the vibrant green trees along the Lake District, to the gorgeous design of the teacups at Kensington Palace.  Taking a moment to stop and look up close and appreciate beauty, as well as taking a step back and looking from a bird’s eye view, is something we can’t forget, or we will miss out the beauty right in front of us.   Taking the time to be removed, to look from a new perspective, can make all the difference.