Safe Lady

Every single day I am out drawing I am met with kindness, interest and generosity. Today was no exception, sitting outside the Liwa centre, I drew some of the Textile shops. Safe Lady is a great name, and I was invited in for sweet tea and a chat. I left with an unexpected Abaya. This is a relaxed and friendly street and the men wander up and down to talk to each other. It's clearly a tight community. My surprise is always how drawing breaks the barrier between the drawer and the drawn. Berger's  description of the act of drawing as a conversation or dialogue seems apt.

" The encounter of these two energies, their dialogue, does not have the form of question and answer. It is a ferocious and unarticulated dialogue"  (Berger, 2007, p.77).

This conversation, initiated by the drawer, allows for a quick familiarity between strangers that is impossible with photography.

​Berger, J. (2007) Berger on Drawing. Occasional Press, Aghabullogue, Cork.