AES036 - The Bird's Song

There is a wall near Bandung's train station. It is yellowish-white and weathered. A single wooden birdcage hangs on it, with a single yellow-bellied bird singing sweetly each morning. When the morning sun hits it just right, it casts a lovely shadow, framed beautifully against the emptiness of the wall.

Today, Kak Andy told us about how important white space is in graphic design. It's not about the content, but how we use the blank space around it to help accentuate it. When you align an element just right within empty space, it can pop out more.

I think it's a very flexible sentiment, and it applies to a lot of aspects of life. The white moon in the middle of a dark sky, uninterrupted by city lights, is all the more visible. A meal after a day of fasting tastes all the more delicious. Laughter in the middle of hardship is all the more beautiful. Something ordinary, made extraordinary by contrast.

Every morning, the yellow-bellied bird sings in its cage. In front of the blank wall, in the middle of the city's noise and the train's whistle, the songs it sings are sweet and peaceful.