Maria Jesús González

Gothvos Santiago de Chile

I would like to start this abstract by mentioning that this is my response to an invitation by Jonathan Polkest in 2013 to place a small Greenstone pebble, found on the seashore of Penlee Cornwall, to a "place" or location somewhere that would have great or specific meaning to me, personally, professionally or as part of my own "fiction" as a creative practitioner - so as you the reader can see, it took me a long period to finally know where I wanted to place this greenstone and what I wanted to write about in the picture.  

Looking at the works and reflections of other submissions in the Gothvos blog, I could see how the environment, and most of the time the beauty of it, was their inspiration to write something down, also important things about their own biographical activities and how magnificent nature is and how this beauty may impact upon their lives, which indeed it does.   

However, the nature or the natural element in this photograph inspires me differently from many other situations found on the blog. In this case, though I believe this is a pleasing picture - beautiful as well - it has to do more with the effects  and / or repercussions, that contemporary social activity has brought into our daily life = smog, and how beautiful smog can look as well – looking at the picture – Standing a meter away from the picture and you see the ocean, a beautiful sunset in the beach. This is currently how Santiago de Chile is, the smog we are immersed in, and indeed:  it is a fake ocean.   

I would like to make it clear that I’m not trying to impose bad -  nor good - advertising for the city (which is the city where I live) by saying: ‘look how contaminated it is’  although this is the city where I currently live. I do not live in the countryside, this is my daily environment, and this panoramic view, which I’ll name "the smog ocean", has to do with my everyday life. Then I would like to make it clear, I’m not considering this phenomena in a negative light, but rather to make a commentary, not good or bad, not right or wrong, but just reflecting the way it is, with all that comes with it. If someone see this picture, I’d like to introduce them to a city, which could be any other city , this is Santiago after a period without rainfall. A view from the very top of the city, just next to the statue of the Virgin Mary - that stands behind me. From this you can make up your own thoughts, and reflect – or not - on what a city is, and how it looks with its inherent ugliness and beauty, as you find it.