Ancient Stones and Charity Shops
Ancient Stones and Charity Shops
Ellie Shipman
What do standing stones and charity shops have in common?
The stone sits beside me as I write, its pockmarked face that holds glints of pilgrim wishes watches over me. The large holes running through its breast are worn smooth in places from centuries of ritual. Loitering ghosts of a thousand hands still wander, from once passing their meaningful objects through this gentle giant, hoping for a change in the weather, a lucky break or divine intervention in fertility woes. Marks of humankind are evidenced in this bare rock. Attention and care through the vast leaps of time are embodied here. This megalith material presence seemingly everlasting - the glider overhead and passing cars achingly unaware of their own fleetingness.
The charity shop is a timekeeper too. A museum of the moment. An accidentally curated collection of a locality: giving hints to the discerning anthropologist of the wealth, class, taste, age range and cultural references of its population.Every object has its own tale and they chatter and bustle for your attention on their bulging rails, racks and shelves. Some hold stories of greed: shiny new polyester in latest-trend shades, tags fresh as the cost and hassle of return has been deemed too much for this near-worthless garment. A low price at a high cost as ultra fast fashion churns over.
Other items hold quiet memories of careful use or Sunday Best, already missing their faithful owners and confused at their sudden separation and loss of appreciation in the eyes of others. Occasional wear boasts its glory day, reminding the riff raff of its RRP and clinging to its rapidly fading glamour.I listen to these murmurs as I browse, torn with heartbreak between dead people’s treasures and simultaneously disgusted by the undeniable detritus of capitalism and the over-confident march of infinite growth. While in a field, behind a gate, off an A-road, a quiet stone sits, its porous surface open to the elements, waiting for the next ritual.
