Set in an eternal present, Marcelle and Jean Podevin, "Maman" and "Papa," are standing in the middle of an islet within a Japanese garden...
...They are happy together, they are getting along and they seem to know where they are going.
This image evokes the emotions that early photographs might have stirred in someone who received postcards from distant relatives or friends long ago.
The focal point of the image lies beyond its frame. This is an amazing sight that my parents are beholding, as if the object of their longing is revealing itself to them, but will remain an enduring mystery for us. The right side of the garden mirrors the left, this is a place that can exist only in your imagination.
In some of my work, I feel compelled to extend the image boundaries beyond the frame, much like when I used to bridge the gap between the landscapes of one postcard and the scenery of another.
While my mother shopped in the colorful seaside tourist shops of Villefranche or Hendaye, I would spin a postcard dispenser, traveling in spirit to all those distant places.
Jean-Francois Podevin / Whittier / 08-24-2024
This image is a revision in higher definition of the same which I created in 2004
for "Composite Memories" Part VI;" OCCIDENT"
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