Metaphors and Metaphorms
It has been fun going through old digital photos, retrieved from the hard disk of a previous computer. They are now transferred to my laptop, curated through Picasa and backed up to Google+.
Many of the photos belong to 2 ongoing album collections that from time to time I share on Facebook. The largest is called "Closed Openings" - some of my favourite pictures of closed windows, doors, gates and other openings. The other is called "Postbox Read", a collection of the various pillar and wall postal boxes that are so common place we sometimes miss the fact that many date from the time of Victoria.
Other photos were taken for use in some presentation or other. Pictures are worth a thousand words and a well chosen image can make a presentation by reinforcing a point. Same goes for blogposts and articles. Just check how many writers use visuals from professional picture galleries.
Using attributes of one thing to describe an unrelated something else is the business of metaphor. Shakespeare was master of this: Think of Hamlet and "taking arms against a sea of troubles". Lovely image that. Metaphors are powerful tools in story telling.
So too are Metaphorms. I first came across that term in a book by artist, Todd Siler. It had a powerful impact. I recall that there was a call to action near the end of the book where the author/artist invited readers to share with him their own observations. Ahead of its time, I think.
Sadly, I cannot track down a copy of the book but have found that it dates from the late eighties. I was pleased then to find this blogpost on Metaphorms. Please check it out.
Back then to the pictures. I wonder whether you think the picture shown in this post relates to organisational life today.
And if so, how?
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