#WordlessWednesday
What Was It About?
In late 2022, I decided to bring my #WordlessWednesday series to a close. I had come across the initiative about half a year earlier and although I don’t usually take part in any activities of this kind, this time it appealed to me. Why? I had read that the purpose of the exercise was to share (only your own) photos that tell a story or it is up to the viewer to “interpret” a story. And I think that’s a very good idea.
I didn’t have an agenda, but perhaps there was a certain undertone: wherever we go in this world, we may see things that might seem unusual to us, but if we think about them, we find them in one form or another in our society again. We all resemble each other more than we often realize.
As an afterthought, I would like to mention some of the parameters according to which the selection was made and also a few photos that didn’t make it. Because they are not good enough, may seem too trivial, only mean something to me because I associate them with memories, or because they have no meaning without appropriate text.
Types of Photos Shown
A typical example of the latter is the photo below. It is meaningless as a photo and yet it has a very special meaning for me. I would have titled it: “An Unusual Wedding”. But that wouldn’t have explained it. Why? When my wife and I traveled around Sri Lanka for two weeks a few years ago, I contacted a private chauffeur in advance. After a few e-mails, it was clear to me that not only would the car be fine, but more importantly the driver. The day after we arrived, his brother got married. The groom was Sinhalese and the bride Tamil. Given the history of conflict, their marriage felt especially meaningful to me. We were guests of honor at this remarkable wedding. The photo shows the place of honor of the newlyweds who had disappeared onto the dance floor. They had put their cell phones down.
Two mobile phones, and no one can tell which belongs to the Tamil bride and which to the Sinhalese groom.
So Different and Yet Similar
I often had the opportunity to travel to distant countries, sometimes rather rare destinations like Nicaragua, Afghanistan, or North Korea. Unfortunately, the original photographs from that time have been lost. Some paper prints I had made from slides remained, and I used those.
A photo like the one below is also meaningful to me: I wonder what it would feel like to cut up dozens of fish every day, surrounded by their smell from morning to night.
Even a photo like this may seem disturbing at first. And yet it makes you think. Those of us who eat fish or poultry often leave the awkward part to others. Here, that part is impossible to overlook.
A picture like this also makes me wonder what it feels like to make your way on a colossal elephant during rush hour in a larger city. In any case, you will be respected 😊
A theme that I am also very interested in and that I often treat in painting is “a spark of unreality” in a real environment like in the picture below. Like the other photographs here, it has not been manipulated. I have never used Photoshop. At first glance, the animal seems to be missing a leg…
The Japanese gentleman in traditional clothing, carrying an instrument case through the Austrian mountains, also has that unexpected quality for me.
Seeing or capturing something surreal in a situation was also a concern in some of the photos shown. Our everyday life is full of the “surreal” and we often don’t notice it anymore.
But personally, I prefer photos that don’t need any explanation, but rather live through their inherent mystery, coupled with the imperfection of the technical aspect.
Summary
The project also lost its appeal for me because I kept coming across pet snapshots, photographs taken by other people, and advertising. Those were not what had drawn me to it. I was interested in images that could leave a small question behind.
My own #WordlessWednesday series is now closed. Thank you again for your interest.
As always, I appreciated the feedback. I was taken aback when a post prompted racist comments, though these were rare exceptions. What stays with me is the pleasure of looking together, and the different stories a single photograph can suggest.
Related articles: Goodbye #WordlessWednesday · The Blind Musician · Not Much to See
Explore Art & Writing
Art Portfolio → Featured Artworks → Arts & Philosophy Journal → All Articles
Explore Asian Art Essays for writing on Chinese painting, calligraphy, aesthetics and art history.
Available Artworks
Original works are available on FriedrichZettl.com and Saatchi Art
Leave a Reply