The last time I made one of these QCombos was way back in 2019; I’ve no idea why I stopped, but I thought it might be fun to start up again. (You can find the rest here on Flickr.)
BREATHING LIGHT by James Turrell (1943- , USA)
If you’ve been following Triptych, we actually discussed another of Turrell’s installations recently (in episode 2:6). I’m fascinated by his mastery of space and light, which results in the immersion in something other worldly and yet often tranquil or transporting.
Find out more here.
JAPANESE MAPLE by Clive James (1939-2019, Australia)
I vividly remember being floored by this poem when I first read it in The New Yorker in 2014. James had been such an TV icon during my adolescence and beyond, and his appearances were unmissable in our household. Hilarious, acute, insightful, fearless about subject matter. And here he was writing about his imminent death. I’d had no idea.
In the end, he lived for another five years (thanks to remarkable medications). But this prepared for the end – albeit one without hope as was consistent with his committed atheism. It’s a poignant attempt to make the best of it, and one cannot help but agree with his wonder at the world’s vibrant but fleeting colours.