Unnecessary

Brian Eno once said "'Culture' is everything we don't have to do" by which he meant that culture is what we do with our lives and societies over and above what is required for our daily survival, such as how we dress, prepare our food, and decorate our homes. 

I think this argument can be extended to art, which is unnecessary but such a basic urge in humans that it emerged in the cave paintings of our ancestors tens of thousands of years ago, the oldest discovered so far being made by a Neanderthal over sixty thousand years ago.

This desire to create and, therefore, be surrounded by art is what I was alluding to on Sunday when I wrote about the public art in Malmö: I believe living with art around us makes us happier, even if we don't necessarily enjoy every piece; it's essential to us.

You see far more of this in Chorley than a lot of English towns; I'm a huge fan of the council, who genuinely seem to operate to the good of the public for whom they work. I like the figures on the roundabouts particularly but I also enjoy the way they've chosen to illuminate the clock tower. I took this shot just after enjoying a few glasses of wine with Dom in The Shed, which is an excellent little bar.

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