In any dynamic art-form, the technique of tension and resolve are useful techniques for engaging viewers. Movies, books, songs and even paintings can use the technique.

Tension And Resolve In Real Life

The most obvious form of tension and resolve is in the Star Wars catalogue of movies.  Have you ever noticed that they start with the heroes in a dire situation. Then it gets worse. And as the heroes go forward on three separate fronts to defeat the bad guys, each line of story shows hopes disappearing. Han Solo gets captured. They lose a critical battle. The Force gets turned on its head and viewers have an impending sense of certain doom.  All is lost. The viewer is left with only despair.

And then, surmounting all odds, they come up with a last-ditch effort that can’t possibly work.  And yet it does.  Tension, tension, tension, more tension, and resolve.

Songwriters use harmonic techniques to build crescendo.  Layering chords, dissonance and rhythms in ways that off-balance the listener.  Gathering strength and tempo, threatening to race the listener off an aural cliff. And then melodic blends return, releasing the built up tension.

Authors carefully balance tension, despair and doom with reconciliation and setting things back in order. Or at least coming to place of equilibrium.

Ever get the sense that the Universe uses this technique as well.  Remember back in the eighties when the ozone layer was at risk of destroying the planet? There must have been some resolution to this problem, because you don’t often hear about it anymore.

And now we have a Star Wars-like war on three fronts threatening our existences.  COVID-19, Climate Crisis and reckless, incompetent leadership in countries like the U.S. and the U.K.

Is Real Life Like The Arts?

So, here’s my concern.  Is the rhythm of tension/resolution a natural rhythm that always plays out? Or is it an artistic construct that fools us into thinking everything will just turn out okay. Just like “Rite of Spring.” The musical piece shocked and thrilled audiences with it’s roller-coaster-like movements from exhilarating peaks to serene meanderings. It created an almost exhausting sense of tension/release.

My belief is the former.  Therefore, I think despair creates a vacuum that demands resolution.

All I can say is that it better be the case.

Current Knitting

Some progress…at least a little. I’ve completed a few more rows since Monday on the Zig Zag Striped Scarf.

I’ve been quite distracted with a few things lately. Or this is one of these one of those projects that just doesn’t grow very quickly.  Or both.

I also started a new, simple Garter Striped Scarf done lengthwise.

In close-up, I’m not so sure I like it that much. But I’m pretty certain it will be quite fine when it’s finished and seen as a complete scarf.  Or at least I hope.  I’m trying to build a little tension here, so the resolution will be sublime.