Sam Taylor - Wood

Just like Paddy Jolley's mattress photograph, this image offers a lot more questions than answers. How was this photograph made? Is it a real-time shot or was it staged, Jackie-Chan - like, with wires? On another level, why did the woman stand on the chair? Will she break a leg? On yet another level, what and who does she stand for? Immortality?

Of course the answers are well-known, but I find it so much more pleasurable to pretend ignorance and to speculate.

Ordinary People

From The Times front page earlier this year, during the season of extremely high winds. What is it about falling, flying, being in mid-air that fascinates us so much?

There is a link between falling and mortality: angels and gods can fly and hover, but us mortals are slowly falling to our deaths. The hope is that somehow we will never hit the ground. Photography freezes a moment in time and creates an image of immortality. We all can hover.


Even worse than falling is being thrown, even if it is for the best.
(Metro front page, 5th of Feb this year.)