“It is not the external self, but the inner self which is in need of a mirror.”
– Johann Paul Friedrich Richter
As adults, our relationship with our own reflection is very ambivalent. Children pose happily and pull grimaces when they encounter their mirror image; adults usually scrutinize their reflection in private, stealthily or critically. We want to look good, but not to seem vain. So, for once, please just look in the mirror and set aside all those expectations and evaluations. And, pay absolutely no attention to what others might think. Do something rather unusual when you next see a mirror: Take a closer look and take your time. It is as though you have just discovered the world for the very first time. This backdrop with you right in middle. This spontaneous moment of external reflection offers surprising new perspectives. It triggers inner reflection. What is your place in the world, what is transient, what enduring? So looking in a mirror does not necessarily indicate vanity, it can be a sign of curiosity and deep contemplation. By the way, mirrored buildings are often regarded as egocentric and aloof – entirely unjustly. Only on mirror façades is the world deconstructed into its numerous facets and perspectives, and reflective buildings direct the viewer’s gaze towards things which are otherwise overlooked. Tolerant and unobtrusive, the skin reflects both beauty and ugliness, time and changes in its environment. It is simply there, without being real. It facilitates spatial and metaphysical insights. Which is the original, which its reflection? Where is reality and where is fiction? In the lustrous glow of a mirrored surface there are an infinite number of perspectives on our world. In the warm glow of the festive period, we hope you have time to venture a look in the mirror and to reflect!
Read the new issue of ALUCOBOND’s digital magazine Forms & Elements.
Download the Forms & Elements App here.