Interiors: Isolation Becomes Solitude
Solitude is a kind of freedom. – Umberto Eco
While recovering from a broken ankle, I was forced to remain in my bed for two months. Detached from the outside world and not going anywhere, I stared at the walls and the ceiling for days; boredom set in and I felt engulfed by a sense of melancholy and physical pain. It felt like the world stood still. Nothing moved.
But then, emerging from my own inner darkness, I made a choice to consciously perceive my space and noticed the subtle interplay of light and shadow moving across the walls and ceiling, from minute to minute, from hour to hour, from sunrise to sunset – each moment was showing me a new perspective, my gaze seeing new unique images generated by subtle variations of sun and moon-light filtered by passing clouds, rain, cars, flickering street lights, and the structure of a lone window.
My surroundings revealed a hidden beauty that I had previously overlooked. Through the lens of my camera, I captured these fleeting moments of light and shadow and found a new sense of awareness in these acts of creation.
As days turned into weeks, my feeling of isolation transformed into a gift of solitude, and I embraced the freedom it gave me to explore my interior world. These photographs are a testament to that journey and are a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there is light and beauty to be discovered.
Note: Asterik indicates photographic print in exhibit at Downtown Art Center