Sometimes, important messages from my children are communicated through art and symbolic gestures rather than words.
My darling daughter Pippi made this inuit inspired, soap stone bear sculpture last year in grade one as a present for her dad on Father’s Day. It resides on the corner of a side table in our living room. Every day, the caramel coloured bear sits still and proud, appearing exactly as it does in the above pic.
Until, one day, a few weeks ago, I was having trouble keeping my iPod upright in its doc/speaker. The little bear was the perfect size to support my ipod from behind to I could listen to my music without it cutting out every few moments. Thus, on occasion, the little bear sculpture would be placed on my ipod dock, on another side table very close to its original place of honour (beside the Zen fountain).
Except, one day, last week, I found the bear sitting back where it belonged on the side table, near the Zen fountain. Only this time it had been placed on a slate pedestal with a circle of rocks around it. It sat, in its circle of stones proudly, appearing exactly as it does in the picture above.
It seemed strange to me; who would have done that? I thought the stones distracted from the sculpture’s minimalistic beauty.
I asked Pippi if she knew anything about the rocks.
Yes, she knew about the rocks. She’d put them there and arranged them protectively around the bear.
Why?
She didn’t like the bear being used to hold up my iPod. She wanted the bear to stay where it was, on the side table, displayed with pride.
The rocks were arranged in symbolic order in an attempt to keep me from moving the bear.
So many things unsaid, yet communicated through artistic expression.
Another reminder to open my eyes and mind and pause to see what exists beyond the world of words.
Sandra Hart
I hadn’t seen the bear before these pictures. Pippi is quite the sculptor and evidently very protective of her bear!