Kraftwerk Radioactivity

Not sure what attracted this five-year-old to spend some time gazing at this Kraftwerk poster – but he did. Tracing the lines in and out from the centre to the edge and following the patterns forever.

Bit like Kraftwerk themselves – mesmerising and absorbing.

I gave this he five-year-old the poster when we met up in a park playing in the outdoors. Despite the park being a new play area, the poster took priority for a while.

To make sense of the patterns of life is a primary desire and this desire is not always apparent. When the patterns are broken, unease can set in. Determination to return to the set pattern is about getting reassurance and feeling stable.

I suppose Kraftwerk was all about building on the patterns of electronic music and generating a beat sound that was distinctive and much loved by many fans – and still is. Their robot pop was a pattern, but it was their pattern. And here’s the thing. To create your own pattern is where the spoils are.

Grandson age 5 is sure to get there, sooner than most will expect.