One of my favorite films of all time is "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" (2010) by Werner Herzog. It is a documentary about the Chauvet Cave in France, which was inhabited by both people and animals 30,000 years ago. The animals and people seemed to coexist peacefully and the caves are decorated with remarkable cave paintings. It was a very special place for those who found refuge there until it was closed off by a geological event that covered the entrance thousands of years ago.
The documentary had me at cave and I was spellbound by the magic of this special place. I found Werner Herzog's deadpan delivery to be meditative... and the cave itself has so many mysteries... was it only a shelter or did it have some greater significance? and who were the people who painted the cave paintings 30,000 years ago? and what do these voices from the past tell us about ourselves in the present.
I am also fascinated by hidden spaces, especially when they are transformed into seemingly magical gathering spaces. I think of these types of places as power sources that can recharge the imagination to rethink what is possible... like a creativity incubator.
The documentary did probably play up romantic notions of people living in harmonious co existence with nature and all creatures... but maybe people just were really inspired to have good vibes when they were in the cave... that was the impression I got.
I can almost imagine a group of people 30,000 years ago going about doing their things that they did back then and then pausing and being like: "Hey do you want to go to the cave?"... "Oh yeah the cave, the cave is chill, it's fun to explore, let's go hangout there."... and then they did, maybe they made food... possibly got a little buzzed on something and then decided to do some drawing. Who knows? but even just thinking about it makes me happy and activates that part of my brain that wants to tell stories around a fire.
Such is the magic of special places.
More special place magic:
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