Green, somewhat distraught by her recent interactions with Grey, decides to seek out her good friend Black. Black can always be counted on to take control of any situation, and steer it in the right direction. Black takes Green downtown, where they walk down the most bustling street in the city. Green confesses to having turned somewhat teal after her day with Grey, and wonders if there is anything to be done about the current state of affairs. What state of affairs, wonders Black suspiciously. Green acknowledges that the world is neither good nor bad, and what some perceive as a dystopia is a utopia for others, and vice versa, and yet, she feels certain that she can do something to bring the utopia closer for all, or at least even the playing field somewhat. She’s never thought of herself as an idealist, but she knows there are things that could be done, and she’s never been afraid of hard work.
Black, with a twinkle in her eye, smiles slyly and takes Green’s arm, leading her down an alleyway populated by dumpsters, broken bottles, and discarded cigarette butts. Look around, what do you see, asks Black. Garbage and graffiti, answers Green. Graffiti? Are you sure? Green wonders what Black is getting at, and looks more closely at the scene before her. She sees it now. It’s not graffiti, it’s art. The walls of the alley are covered in strikingly lovely murals. The colours are bright and intermingling, and add a warmth to this otherwise foreboding alley, even on a cold spring day such as today.
Yes, I understand that everything is a matter of perspective, I’ve already noted that, says Green, slightly impatient. No, you don’t get it, chuckles Black. It’s not a matter of noticing something dirty and perceiving it as beauty, it’s a matter of deciding something is beautiful because it is dirty. There can be no light without dark, and no beauty without ugliness, but true contentment lies in finding comfort in the dark, in what is normally distasteful. Finding the power that lies in the twisted and obscure. If I were a sensitive sort, I’d be offended that everyone equates me with bad, muses Black. But I revel in it. I find strength in it. This artwork is only impressive because it’s in an alleyway. Context matters. If these same murals were in a museum they would be bland and uninteresting. But here, the trash that surrounds the art elevates the art. Here, among the debris of the city, the murals remind us to always look up, because there is more than what lies at our feet. We can soar if we are willing to reach.
