Ruins and new beginnings

On 20 May, 2010 I attended the talk by the amazing Japanese artist Hisaharu Motoda, who explained that the notion of disintegration and impermanence (an underlying concern of Japanese culture) was the impetus for his amazing, intricate lithographs entitled 'Neo - Ruins' that was being exhibited at VCA. After seeing his lithographs I thought I'd drop into the NGV International just around the corner. As I passed the water-wall entrance I photographed a baby crawling on the carpet inside the gallery space ~ his bodily form altered by the slowly falling drops on the window exterior, his body bathed in a strange distortion that made him appear as primeval force ~ a bright light out of the dark void behind him, his light blue clothing rippled like a distant lake ~ or the earth's oceans seen from deep space. I gave a copy of the photo to his mother who told me that his name was Ishaan, a Sanskrit name meaning 'ruler' or 'the sun'. I've lost contact with Ishaan's mother, however, I'm placing the photo here today because it's one of my favorites and because the baby represents new beginnings.

Ishaan/NGV waterwall. Photo by Julie Clarke 2010