|
Skimming The Surface
With my camera as a window, I view the world through small fleeting moments. Time is a continuum, but I want to hold it, break it down and study it. I want to understand this construct we call time and observe how it is viewed and treated in different cultures throughout the world. It may rule our lives and we humans are no doubt its subjects, yet our differences lie in how we respond to its commands. Skimming the Surface is a series of eight images in which I attempt to portray some of the ways that time is experienced in the variety of cultures found in North America, Western Europe and West Africa. The locations of the images are as follows: 1. Brewster, New York, USA. 2. Kamalo, Ivory Coast. 3. Yucatan, Mexico. 4. Oaxaca, Mexico. 5. Paris, France. 6. Groumania, Ivory Coast. 7. Cornwall, Connecticut, USA 8. New York City, USA. It is my hope that each photograph reveals something about time in relation to the societies where the images were made. I am aware, though, that ultimately, any revelations gleaned from these images are, of course, tainted by my perception of time in these various locations. I have called it Skimming the Surface because, to me, time flies by, usually too quickly, leaving me with the feeling of never having enough of it. The words of the title suggest a brief experience, where only a portion of a greater whole is recorded. Ironically, it is by studying these fleeting moments that I gain a deeper understanding into the enduring culture I am observing. In understanding, there is sympathy and in sympathy there is peace. To reach this point of recognizing cultural differences and to understand them and accept them without criticism, one needs to observe. One needs to collect moments. One needs to skim the surface. |
return to homepage |
go back to these photos |
fine art |
work in progress |
travel and documentary |
all natural child photography |