'A day in the life' makes me think, first, of the Beatles song of that title and the lyrics "I heard the news today, oh boy ..." Which brings me to my next thought, which concerns a particularly charged photograph I saw on the cover of the Globe and Mail on January 30 (2008). Unfortunately, my mission to find it online, and post it here, failed miserably. As such, I'll have to do my best to describe it and hope you have a good imagination.
The photograph, taken by AP photographer Ben Curtis (who has some other very striking snaps on his website), is explosive. It immediately demands the attention of the viewer. A Kenyan youth, shirtless and wearing what looks like a Winter hat. His left hand is raised, the index finger slightly raised in a pointing gesture. His right hand rests on the steering wheel of an old, abandoned and beaten up light blue truck. His open mouth and expression clearly indicate that he is shouting/yelling something. Some people in the background are smiling. But what pulls all these elements together and brings them together into a fist that hits the senses, making the picture so very striking, is that on top of the truck there is a tire engulfed in flames. In other words, a tire on fire.
What I find so compelling about this photograph is that it so unapologetically assaults my senses, plays with perception, demands my attention, and conveys meaning. What it means to the parties involved may vary, but one thing is inescapable: it is a powerful image. The emotions it brings forth for me are quite strong. If I had to pick one feeling to convey my reaction to this image I would likely pick 'stunned awe'. I feel as if I should be more disturbed or concerned in an "oh no, that's terrible sort of way", but that would that necessarily be a better reaction? What's important, I think, is that one be left grasping for answers. Why did this happen? How? And also acknowledging that the people in the photograph are nameless participants in an image. They have names, to be sure, but the picture merely conveys a moment, a portion of a day in their lives. In this photograph, they are a collection of frozen smiles, an open mouth, a neutral expression I can't read. I don't want to say 'I love this photograph', because that seems macabre and objectifies the scene. But I am drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.
I wanted to write more, about how sometimes I think about the day in the life of someone somewhere else and wonder what it is like. I am frequently awed, in both positive and negative ways, by the scope of human experience.
And on that note, I must experience sleep. Just over a week until I leave Canada again and I have a lot left to do.
The photograph, taken by AP photographer Ben Curtis (who has some other very striking snaps on his website), is explosive. It immediately demands the attention of the viewer. A Kenyan youth, shirtless and wearing what looks like a Winter hat. His left hand is raised, the index finger slightly raised in a pointing gesture. His right hand rests on the steering wheel of an old, abandoned and beaten up light blue truck. His open mouth and expression clearly indicate that he is shouting/yelling something. Some people in the background are smiling. But what pulls all these elements together and brings them together into a fist that hits the senses, making the picture so very striking, is that on top of the truck there is a tire engulfed in flames. In other words, a tire on fire.
What I find so compelling about this photograph is that it so unapologetically assaults my senses, plays with perception, demands my attention, and conveys meaning. What it means to the parties involved may vary, but one thing is inescapable: it is a powerful image. The emotions it brings forth for me are quite strong. If I had to pick one feeling to convey my reaction to this image I would likely pick 'stunned awe'. I feel as if I should be more disturbed or concerned in an "oh no, that's terrible sort of way", but that would that necessarily be a better reaction? What's important, I think, is that one be left grasping for answers. Why did this happen? How? And also acknowledging that the people in the photograph are nameless participants in an image. They have names, to be sure, but the picture merely conveys a moment, a portion of a day in their lives. In this photograph, they are a collection of frozen smiles, an open mouth, a neutral expression I can't read. I don't want to say 'I love this photograph', because that seems macabre and objectifies the scene. But I am drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.
I wanted to write more, about how sometimes I think about the day in the life of someone somewhere else and wonder what it is like. I am frequently awed, in both positive and negative ways, by the scope of human experience.
And on that note, I must experience sleep. Just over a week until I leave Canada again and I have a lot left to do.
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