Samsara in Arcadia(2010) edited 2023
“Oh, was not all suffering time, were not all forms of tormenting oneself and being afraid time, was not everything hard, everything hostile in the world gone and overcome as soon as one had overcome time, as soon as time would have been put out of existence by one's thoughts?”
― Hermann Hesse, Sidadhartha
In February 2010, I met the legendary art teacher Janet Sato at Baldwin High school, who offered me an opportunity to work with her art students.
I was working on people's relationships to their cultural heritage. I wanted the individual conversation to take place while photographing these teenager. I wanted a background of nature, almost a European countryside, Arcadia.
Paradise in a sense, yet not so obviously crying out of Hawai'i's history and nature. These are some of the photographs during our conversations.
I found these photographs represented Samsara, the suffering-laden cycle of life, death, and rebirth without beginning or end. It is also referred to as the wheel of existence (Bhavacakra). At the time, I did not edit these photographs; I printed some and gave it to Janet and put them on a side. As my preoccupations increased with older photographs and what they were saying, I did not return to them.
Recently, I have been thinking about what consists of my life journey and I decided to organize these photographs for the web page.
These teenagers are now grown, adults. Photography needs patience to be digested as an experience in life.
― Hermann Hesse, Sidadhartha
In February 2010, I met the legendary art teacher Janet Sato at Baldwin High school, who offered me an opportunity to work with her art students.
I was working on people's relationships to their cultural heritage. I wanted the individual conversation to take place while photographing these teenager. I wanted a background of nature, almost a European countryside, Arcadia.
Paradise in a sense, yet not so obviously crying out of Hawai'i's history and nature. These are some of the photographs during our conversations.
I found these photographs represented Samsara, the suffering-laden cycle of life, death, and rebirth without beginning or end. It is also referred to as the wheel of existence (Bhavacakra). At the time, I did not edit these photographs; I printed some and gave it to Janet and put them on a side. As my preoccupations increased with older photographs and what they were saying, I did not return to them.
Recently, I have been thinking about what consists of my life journey and I decided to organize these photographs for the web page.
These teenagers are now grown, adults. Photography needs patience to be digested as an experience in life.
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