Of all Agnes Dennes’ works discussed in Jeffrey Kastner’s writing the work that touched me the most was Human Dust. I was fascinated at the idea of the creation of a life and all its minutiae and picadillos. It reminds me of a novel written by JM Coetze which was a fictional memoir of his own life. In the novel (about himself after his passing), the author discusses himself through close relatives and ex lovers.
It is an interesting experiment of measuring one’s own life through the eyes of others. We create and recreate our personal narratives in our minds and many artists do so publicly. But what is the record of our lives written by those most intimate with us?
I believe myself to be humble. My mother thinks I am arrogant.
Chris believes himself to be a thoughtful, self-sacrificing partner. I think he is rather selfish.
My friend, Barbra, believes that she has her fingers on the pulse of progressive politics. I think she practices the politics of an old lady still enthralled with JFK’s good looks.
I wonder if Dennes’ concept can be transformed (has it been?) into some form of art therapy that serves to deepen our understanding of how we are perceived outside of ourselves and the potential impact of who we are on others.
My mother told me she thought I was arrogant over two decades ago. It was a random comment apropos of nothing and not discussed further. But it has haunted me ever since. It sits in front of everything I say and do. Many times, I push it aside and move forward. But I do not try to eradicate it from my mind.
I think it is important.