(Reprinted and moved from August 4, 2011)
For many years my friend Peter Prangnell has been talking about 'Friendly Objects.' These are things that he sees in a particular way; they are often, although not always, to be found in the landscape. Those amongst us that admire this particular vision of Pete's have sometimes tried to emulate it, with varying degrees of success. Here are two fine photographs of his...
© Peter Prangnell. Blackpool 1983
© Peter Prangnell. Spain 1967
... and the other day I found this quote. It's Alan Bennett, thinking along much the same lines:
"note how personalised and peopled the material world is at a level almost beneath scrutiny. I'm thinking of the cutlery in the drawer or the crockery I every morning empty from the dishwasher. Some wooden spoons, for instance, I like, think of as friendly; others are impersonal or without character. Some bowls are favourites, others I have no feeling for at all. There is a friendly fork, a bad knife and a blue and white plate that is thicker than the others which I think of as taking the kick if I discriminate against it by using it less.
Set down this seems close to insanity but it goes back to childhood when the entire household was populated with friends and not-friends and few objects were altogether inanimate, particularly knives and forks. Both shoe brushes had character, the bad brush with which the polish was put on, and the good brush that brought out the shine. This was true of clothes, too, with a patchwork blouse I had to wear as a toddler thought of as unfriendly and which I always disliked. Sticks had characters, too, and cushions. Sixty years later more traces of this animistic world persist than I would like, making a mockery of reason and sense."
© Alan Bennett.Untold Stories, Diary 2001
© New York Times. White Sands, NM.
© Myfanwy Phillips. Bus UK 2009
