Borders Revisited

In a previous post I talked about the significance of borders in my exploration of my father's farm. I'd like to return to that idea again and dig a little deeper. I am most interested in how we use these artificial constructs to organize and understand the world around us. In conjunction with these thoughts/reflections I have started a series of photographs of "borders" that I will update on a daily basis here.

In writing about the theories of Kant, Paul Strathern writes:

"All the things we perceive are only phenomena. The thing-in-itself (the nuomena) which supports or gives rise to these phenomena remains forever unknowable. And there is no reason why it should resemble in any way our perceptions. The phenomena are perceived by way of our categories, which have nothing whatsoever to do with the thing-in-itself. This remains beyond quality, quantity, realation, and the like."

So, I'm interested in how we use borders as a way of establishing "our categories."

Here are some of the definitions of "border" from dictionary.com that I found interesting:

bor·der [bawr-der] –noun

1. the part or edge of a surface or area that forms its outer boundary.

2. the line that separates one country, state, province, etc., from another; frontier line: You cannot cross the border without a visa.

4. the frontier of civilization.

6. brink; verge.

7. an ornamental strip or design around the edge of a printed page, a drawing, etc.

10. Theater .

a. a narrow curtain or strip of painted canvas hung abovethe stage, masking the flies and lighting units, and forming the top of the stage set.