“Joy is not meant to be a crumb.” -Mary Oliver
At the Brighton station, right before you tap in, there is a piece of rather unexpected furniture. Despite being painted in colourful stripes, it is invisible until you look for it. Next time you go, watch out for this piano. It sits peacefully in the centre of Brighton station, unfazed by our hurry. If you go before 7 p.m., you can even play some tunes once you ask the guards to open it for you.
If you are facing the pier, on its right side at the beachfront are several tiny shops tucked away in the historic Kings Road Arches. One of them is a gallery named Daniel Laurence, a Brighton-based artist whose work, in his words, “pays tribute to God’s glorious creation.”
As you enter the quaint little gallery, it transports you to a quirky, expansive space. Where divers’ helmets are ornamental, the crockery is Beauty and the Beast-styled, and wooden ducks wear trendy shoes. The gallery is filled with wonder but there is one thing at the very back that makes me squeal with delight (an essential ingredient for joy): a little tropical reef fish tank housing exactly two fish. Nemo and Dory. Go see them, your own little real life adaptation of the movies!
Along the Hove seafront is a newly installed artwork “Flight of the Langoustine” by Pierre Diamantopoulo. This impossible-to-miss sculpture has been described by Pierre as “an absurdist response to a profound sense of unrest”. I saw this sculpture on a lazy Sunday afternoon as I walked leisurely with a mint choco chip gelato from Marrocco’s in my hand. I will refrain from telling you what the sculpture looks like, but to me, it seemed unafraid, bold, and – like all of us – trying. I thought to myself “It is okay to be seen trying” and in that solace was my joy.
The Laines are a popular source of joy and I am convinced that one can spend a lifetime locating all the joy to be found here. There is a shop called ‘The Duck House’ which true to its name, houses only ducks. Shrek duck, The Queen duck, Fireman duck. Everything except the shopkeeper here is a duck and I ducking love that!
On the walls of the Middle Street Primary School in the Laines is a beautiful artwork of Lord Ganesha, the Indian God of sacred beginnings. There is something immensely joyful about finding a popular symbol of faith from your own country graffitied onto the walls of a country far far away. He is my favourite God because he just knows how to have a good time.
The best hot chocolate I have ever had: Knoops! Nothing screams joy like a steamy drink with the percent of chocolate you desire and a dollop of whipped cream as you fancy.
Right opposite Burger King on North Street, there is a brightly coloured mural by Dave Pop that reads YOU LOVE YOU on first glance. If you squint your eyes a little and read between the lines (literally), it says something quite different. Reading it made me smile and something in my heart felt warm and fuzzy. Maybe it was the mural, maybe it was something else. I have learnt not to question its origin when joy visits me. I hope joy finds you soon, squinting outside Burger King.
I wish you Joy, in these places and many more
I ask you, most earnestly, “What brings you joy?”
Tell me, because I want to know.
