The word
“photography” comes from the French photographie, which is based on the
Greek phos (light) and graphis (drawing), together meaning
“drawing with light”.
In this
particular body of work, Salt of the Earth, I address the use
of light in our society and its prevalence in a multitude of circumstances. Besides
the obvious necessities for light in everyday human life, i.e. to see, to
acquire vitamin D from the sun, or even to provide electricity through solar power,
there are many occasions when light equals safety, for example, children are
often times given nightlights for a sense of protection. In the same fashion,
we put up lights on our streets, in our parking lots, and around our buildings
for security. If someone lives alone and gets scared because of a noise or a scary
movie, the first thing he or she wants to do is turn on all the lights. But
does the light really have the ability to protect us with its mystical and even
mundane qualities, or is it just a belief, an exercise in faith?
There is
also the concept of spirituality, as in “angels” or “fairies” that people carry
with them, or that travel with them through life and protect them or guide
them. Since the true form of these figures is unknown, throughout different
cultural mediums such as film and books, we often times portray them as a spark
of light, a flash of light, a glowing orb, etc. But do these beings truly
exist, or is it once again just a belief, an exercise in faith?
In addition, people often think of light in terms of miracles. Once again in our films and
books, especially in particular genres, when a miracle occurs, it is many times
accompanied with that same spark, that same flash, or that same orb. So in
terms of everyday miracles, like childbirth, or death, how and why do we as a
race choose light to illustrate these events? What is the attraction to light?
I also
ask the question from my perspective as the artist, if I let the electrical
cord of the light sources show in the image, it does not take away from the
belief of the subject in the image of the being’s existence or of the light’s
protective abilities, etc., so what does this mean to the viewer? Hopefully it
will leave the viewer with the question of what is faith or how does one
achieve faith? Through a series of images incorporating scenes involving sleep
and illness, pregnancy/birth, death, and everyday practical concerns such as
driving or reading at night, I examine these concepts relating to the
interaction of the human form with light.
I chose
very specific light sources, salt rock lamps, which are mined in the Himalayan
Mountains and then transformed into lamps. The result is a very organic object,
each one with its own individual markings and color. Through the use of this
natural and idiosyncratic material, I combine both the human element as an
organic and individual organism itself, and also that in essence we are all
made of the same substance at the core.
In
addition to questions involving faith, I also address the story, the historical
survival that we all face in the form of preservation for both our distinct
quintessence, and our familial lineage. Through the use of the story, we often
times communicate that which we find necessary to carry on through time, as
well as to inspire others or to learn from ourselves. I decided to use Oriental
script scrolls, which are many times used to communicate a story or a proverb,
to present small vignettes into the lives of the individuals in the images, not
only incorporating their interaction with the light, but how that light travels
with them through an event, a place, or a time. This creates not only a voyeuristic
experience but also one of helplessness; we can only sit quietly and watch, we
cannot interact or take action to change the story. The helplessness in turn
draws us back around the questions of our own life paths, how many times we are
not in control, and helpless to the whim of unseen factors. And in every
instance of helplessness what is the story we are creating, that we then tell
others, that may inspire, or that we ourselves learn from to redirect our path
to the next event and set of circumstances.
The
images are meant to display both individuality and community, both faith and
loss of control, both the story and the witness, and create an experience for
the viewer of both duality and reflection.
