Is some form of reverence forever at the core of what we deem to be beautiful? Whether that be a widely accepted form of beauty — Nature, for example — Or whether that be within more personal forms, like the niche things we find beautiful in other people, or the areas of life we direct more of our energy toward because we believe they align closer with our innate way of being.
This is where the conversation with Dowse began. His self-adorned title of Object Dude, as well as an exploration into what may have shaped his specific creative interest: Jewellery.
As Dowse reflects, he notes that it must, like everything, come from his childhood. A time often spent fascinated by and consistently exposed to interesting objects, most notably the heavy, silver owls that lined the mantle piece of his grandparents’ fireplace.
“There was then a real sense of importance imparted onto those objects because of the way that they were displayed. I think I developed a relationship where I thought, ‘Okay, these are the things that are important because these are the things that are on display. These are worth something. And if I can make something that somebody displays in a glass cabinet, that's something of worth.’”
And maybe this is somewhat common. Not the specific details of Dowse’s experience. But the notion that certain reverences are passed down generations. The idea of a father playing music for his son and at a certain point saying to the boy “Close your eyes. Absorb this song. This is real music.” Or a mother taking her child with her to sell the art she’s crafted out of the boot of her car with the hopes of it brightening a person’s day, a stranger. “This is what it’s all about.”
It’s the power of art as a means to practice love. And it’s the child’s discovery of what it means to have something in your life that you believe to be more important than almost anything else. And it’s the question of how deep do these things go? How contagious are they? How complete and true do children absorb the perceived importances of their parents? And to what extent do they define the child’s way of existing in the world?
Perhaps the sunset is beautiful only after we learn of its importance, its meaning. Beneath the instant appreciation for its aesthetics there must be some unconscious reasoning within our minds working to feed us a reason as to why we should find certain things so beautiful. And could this permeate everything, from the friends we choose to the partners we chase? Our concept of beauty may be linked to that which we consider to be most important.
It’s the underlying presence of meaning. Cosmic dots connected to form core and unwavering opinions. A sense of self. A Being.