Cycling through
‘The Mundane’
Come with us on a bike ride as we break down why the ‘mundane’ isn’t something negative or to shy away from. Our life is made of repetitions and routines. They’re the spinning wheels rotating us through daily life. In the rhythm of the everyday, individual moments –no, think smaller, think frames– come together to create the basis and movement of our day.
Written by
Elly Hong and Kelsey Edwards
Editors at Boundby
“The mundane refers to the often overlooked, insignificant objects and scenes that exist in daily life.”
These frames may appear ‘insignificant’, but as they multiply and expand, they’re not just the foundations of life but the experiencing of it. It’s waiting for the kettle to boil, lost in the limescale that swirls around at the bottom, and the steam that emerges from the spout. It’s gulping down that 7am cup of tea before the hurried commute to work. No breakfast (guilty). Unbrushed hair. Dirty plates still on the side. These are the basics that form us, at once chaotic and intricate. It’s all the things we do, don’t do and forget to do each day. How could that ever be boring?
As artists, do we turn to the mundane? Do we embrace it or shy away? It’s undeniably tempting to dive straight into the extraordinary, but where is the extraordinary rooted? You guessed it: the mundane. The mundane isn’t just filler; it’s foundation.
If we want to know how a bike works, we look at what makes the wheels turn. Let’s explore this through the Fibonacci sequence. It’s a series of numbers where each number is equal to the sum of the preceding two numbers. Hold on, some non-scary numbers coming your way.
For example…
0+1=1, 1+1=2, 1+2=3
…and so on and so forth.
See Figure 1 for a graphical representation of the Fibonacci sequence.
This pattern shows itself through many elements in nature, such as the spiral of a pinecone or the petals of a flower. In the rhythm of nature, these spirals build to create the beautiful, the stunning, the sublime. We always look to the result, but neglect to consider what has got us there. There’s a certain beauty in smallness: boiling the kettle or ironing a crease. These are the acts that build to create cycles, catapulting us through life with their force.
There’s something deeply human about recognising patterns and trying to make sense of them. The poet looks to the ordinary because it’s where much of life unfolds. In many ways, the ordinary highlights how each of us are connected: through chores, habits, interests and emotions. The poet translates the rhythms of life that many of us share in. They can examine the cycles in our lives, delving into the mundane in order to start breaking down the extraordinary.
We, as humans, are a sociable species. If we fall, we lean on others. We turn to poetry because it is a medium that connects us. It captures glimpses of our shared lives in ways that resonate with and, in some senses, resemble us. What better way to convey that than through the routines of the everyday? Write about that cold tea on the counter. What colour is it? Why have you left it there? Which mug is it in? Invest in your mundane. Go on, tiptoe in. We’ll join you.