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January 03, 2010
the snows of yesteryear
I dreamt in vivid monochrome last night.
Portraits of people I photographed over the years were laid out on fresh snow, no - rather were made of snow. Of snow and grit.
White tones - snow, blacks - earth, the different shades of grey a mixture od snow and gravel to give a grainy effect of a silver print shot on a fast film.
As the snow melted, the images faded, sunk, and finally disappeared into their own dark background.
Some dreams stay with us. I know that this one will. No idea what it 'means', but it made me reflect on the eternal theme of impermanence.
Some of the writers and artists of my photos are no longer alive; the images and memories of them will follow - time will take care of that if you look far enough. Their art may stay a bit longer - after all: ars longa, vita brevis. But eventually, even that.. The whole spinning planet will.. like, go to ashes..
Closer to home, I feel melancholy about the sad demise of film photography in my lifetime. The beauty of the silver image, the amber- light magic of the darkroom, even the inconvenience of the whole damn error-prone, wet, chemical, time-consuming mess seems more desirable to the digital efficiency of today.
I know this goes against the grain of received wisdom, but today, today sucks!
Today, only yesterday will do. Analogue, no less..
Posted by Marzena at January 3, 2010 07:36 PM