Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
About “The Project”
We are walking on sacred ground -
Round, Round
We are sharing what we’ve found – Round, Round We are making love ‘abound – Round, Round We are singing sacred sounds – Round, Round
Sweat Lodge ceremonial song. South Direction
For some time now, I’ve been questioning the very foundation of my life - the foundation that felt to be as solid as a rock has been crumbling to pieces beneath my feet. What was known to me so well only yesterday no longer seem to provide comfort and support, to motivate and inspire, to give hope. All the theories I had about how to address life’s most fundamental questions somehow don’t seem to apply anymore. Searching for answers and attempting to hold on to the vanishing, dissipating-into-a-thin-air-with-every-passing-minute meaning, I’ve become overwhelmed by the sense of isolation that one experiences when going through trying times, for which names are so many: “trials and tribulations,“ “depression”, “dark night of the soul". One day on my way home from work it occurred to me that I had locked myself up into the seclusion of the world constructed and defined solely by my ego identity, opinions and perspectives. In that world of mine, I was the only one suffering from unresolved dilemmas and unanswerable questions; in my mind, I appeared to be alone in the entire universe… I looked around and took a notice of all the traffic around me. I thought of all the people I had known for years, and of their stories; I thought of those I hadn’t known and of their untold stories – there were so many people around me, so many to listen to and get inspired by; so many to cry and laugh or simply to share silence with… As a photographer, I never had much interest in writing on something that I had already pre-visualized and captured on film: the essence of the story either was or was not there and my statement either did or did not resonate with the viewer – as simple as that. I always seemed to be exclusively interested in my own interpretation of the reality seen through the viewfinder, in that never-ending monologue in my head as I reflected upon people and their life, or – rather – what I perceived their life to be... 
In the Mirror 2001
My reflections, my versions of a story, my vision being in focus would leave people I was photographing somewhat indistinct: silent witnesses to my self-absorption they would remain emerged in their own worlds.
Have I ever succeeded in telling a story? Have I ever heard any of their stories? Have I ever listened, paid attention to anybody but myself?
I don’t know… And this is how The Project came about – born out of my genuine desire to reach out for something outside of myself and beyond all the constrains rooted in self-imposed isolation, weariness and self-pity; to bring myself back to center and to come from my heart for clear vision in order to re-connect with the sense of “we.” For the first time in my life driving back home from work that day I thought of employing images and words as indispensable elements of a project without which the comprehensive story cannot be told. I am no longer interested in my own interpretations and visions – I am seeking collaboration: my images not to illustrate, rather to reflect upon. By engaging in a dialogue with people and asking them to tell their stories and share what they have found along the way, I am hoping to find my own footing, and my own story. 
The Family 1998
I do believe that we are not meant to find all the answers. I know from experience that sometimes answers come to us years after we’ve asked the question. And in my heart of hearts I am in agreement with it. “It is the journey that matters“, as Blue Feather once told me, “let go of the need to know the destination.”
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Friday, August 28, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Truth of Things Can Only Be Expressed...
"...the truth of things can only be expressed aesthetically - in story, picture, film, dance, music. Only when ideas are poetic do they reach the depths and express the reality. ... You have that capacity within you to be the poet to your experience. ... You have to learn how to "sum up" your experience in images that convey your personal truth. ... Many people write songs, poems, and stories. Some less obviously, make gardens." Thomas Moore "Dark Nights of the Soul" |
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Sunday, August 2, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
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