I
recently received a message from an art history graduate of St
Andrews informing me of a semi-ethnographic /memoir-ish photo essay
project that she has just set up, and asking me if I would like to
contribute.
Her
name is Livia Marinescu and her project is entitled 'a moment before I was born'.
As
she writes on the site description,
‘In
memory of my paternal grandparents, with whom I grew up, I created
this online archive called
a moment before I was born. It is relatively close in time to us, about a generation ago, in the time of our grandparents, that photography was a much rarer and precious act. I would like to invite people to submit portraits of their grandparents when they were young, close to the moment when they met. These photographs attest for a time when young couples would not be able to take hundreds of photos. It was most probably a special, memorable event, to sit in front of the camera and have this experience of togetherness. When you send the photo, please mention your grandparents’ names, the place and year where and when the photo was taken (if you know this – if not, then the places/countries they lived in). You can also write about how they met or anything else that you'd want to share'
a moment before I was born. It is relatively close in time to us, about a generation ago, in the time of our grandparents, that photography was a much rarer and precious act. I would like to invite people to submit portraits of their grandparents when they were young, close to the moment when they met. These photographs attest for a time when young couples would not be able to take hundreds of photos. It was most probably a special, memorable event, to sit in front of the camera and have this experience of togetherness. When you send the photo, please mention your grandparents’ names, the place and year where and when the photo was taken (if you know this – if not, then the places/countries they lived in). You can also write about how they met or anything else that you'd want to share'
I
felt inspired by her concept and so I responded by writing the
following mini photo essay the very same night.
