It is what it is, as they say...I just found this mildly amusing. Sitting in a cafe watching the world go by on holiday in Istanbul, I saw the above couple, also on holiday. She is checking the recently-taken photographs of Istanbul on her camera, he is reading the 'Time Out' guide to Istanbul. It reminded me of Baudrillard, and here is the precise quotation that this image brought to my mind:
"Today, when the real and the imaginary are confused in the same operational totality, the aesthetic fascination is everywhere. It is a subliminal perception..of deception, montage, scenaria..Reality no longer has the time to take on the appearance of reality..The principle of simulation wins out over the reality principle.." (Simulations).
In a cafe, In Istanbul..looking at pictures of Istanbul, reading a book about Istanbul.
It reminds me also of a snatch of dialogue from the film 'Total Recall':
"Come to Rekall lncorporated...where you can buy the memory of your ideal vacation...cheaper, safer and better than the real thing."
Some, it seems, prefer the Rekall solution - they don't want to be on holiday, they just want to HAVE been on holiday.
