Music Mosaic

           My collection of photos attempts to capture the nostalgia and tender memories of being young. The precise delicateness of the piano in the song evoked images of innocence and the pure life children see and experience. I drew heavily upon my own childhood memories of music and family. As a child, as hopefully as an adult as well, your family is your whole world and their influence defines how to understand life and what it should be like. For me, I was constantly surrounded by music, by my mom playing the piano or violin and by recordings and movies. Annie Dillard in her essay “Seeing” noted how we are each specialist seers, that the geologist will see fossils where we just see gray rock, and I believe that children are a kind of specialist. Not only do they have the innocent ability to see “color-patches” of a simpler, flatter world, but they also can focus in on one element and give it all their attention. One note on the piano can fascinate a toddler for minutes on end (an eternity in their world), as they marvel at the fact that pushing one key down can create such a large sound.

            This is why many of my photos have a close frame, as children turn all their attention on one detail at a time. I chose warm reds, oranges, and yellows to reflect the brightness and thoughtfulness of the song and in turn the natural optimism of children. In my selection of photos, I tried to capture both the perspective and emotion of childhood. Hand drawings and block magnetic letters reflect the colorful imagination of a child and the simplicity of their world view, just as the song begins with a simple melodic line. Intricate details such as depth of field and spelling aren’t important to understanding the concept of a sunrise or family.

            Other photos reflect the feeling of closeness, family, and places of safety. As the song adds more layers of percussion, strings, and melody, the scope of the pictures expand from the perspective of the child to include family and environment. Many of my feelings of family and home are rooted in the music room. Musical instruments and singing has always brought my family together and is a place of light, warmth, and magic. Sisterhood and a place to keep all your stuffed animals define childhood belonging.

            In the movie, You’ve Got Mail, Kathleen Kelly says, “When you read a book as a child, it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your life does.” I believe the same is true for music and the impressions of family. A child’s view of the world may be “color-patches” but these unsophisticated impressions of shape and color serve as the foundation for their ability to “see” as an adult.

Music: http://youtu.be/oVHyvXUQZ30 -- Long Long Ago, Jon Schmidt