Friday, 12 August 2011

PhotoPlay: Who, What, Where, When, Why?

The expressions from the movie Oranges and Sunshine twirl through my thoughts as I feel a hunger to unwrap my own past. My plate of food is barely touched while Calvin and my mother wipe napkins over their lips. I ask question after question but sometimes there are no answers, only speculations as to why or where or who.

When my feet touch South African soil again I will spend time holding slide after slide to the light to piece together my lineage that traversed Kenya, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, The Okavango Delta and Zimbabwe.

The story begins in South Africa where I push into the world gasping for air. My memories are bright colours, brilliant sunshine that cakes the skin, dry land and dripping watermelon juice and the spraying of pips from laughing mouths; beggars and lullabies sung in Zulu mud huts, ripening corn, fermenting milk and segregation which punctured my insides.

My journals contain pencil sketchings of recollections. Essays fill and poems bring release to pent up questions. Maybe sonnets will lyric together the sketchings?

PHOTOPLAY

For this month’s PhotoPlay, capture five images that represent your history. Each image must answer a question below, one question per image:

  1. Who made up your DNA?
  2. Where do you come from?
  3. What object is precious to your past?
  4. What memory resonates most deeply?
  5. What moment in history marks your childhood?

Symbolism is important in recollection. To assist your photo search, find symbols to portray the memories that come back to you. The image I chose for this piece very strongly resembles Apartheid and reconciliation, two realities that shaped my life.

Further instructions and a challenge:

  • If you feel like stretching your creative fibers, join our poet friends in the creation of a sonnet that explains your history. You can learn how to do that over at TweetSpeak.
  • Upload your images to The High Calling Flickr Group and tag them with: ‘photoplay 17’, ‘The High Calling’ and ‘High Calling Focus’.
  • Create a set with your images and include the link to the set in the description of each image.
  • Submit your images and poetry by Wednesday, August 24th, for a place in the image gallery here at The High Calling and possibly a feature at TweetSpeak and Every Day Poems. (Note: This gives you an extra week!)
  • Have fun and remember to stretch yourself.

Image and post by Claire Burge, in cooperation with L.L. Barkat.

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Posted on August 12th, 2011 at 6:46 pm.

Filed under Claire Burge, PhotoPlay, The High Calling.



14 Responses to “PhotoPlay: Who, What, Where, When, Why?”

  1. Patricia (Pollywog Creek) writes:
    No. 1 — August 13th, 2011 at 12:06 am

    Not THAT’s a challenge, Claire. I’m happy to know we have an extra week to work on this. It’s going to be fun, but it will also take considerable thought.

  2. Patricia (Pollywog C writes:
    No. 2 — August 12th, 2011 at 8:06 pm

    Not THAT's a challenge, Claire. I'm happy to know we have an extra week to work on this. It's going to be fun, but it will also take considerable thought.

  3. Connie@raise your ey writes:
    No. 3 — August 12th, 2011 at 9:59 pm

    Hmmm…challenge indeed, on several levels…

  4. Photography Adventure « Rainmakers and Stormchasers writes:
    No. 4 — August 13th, 2011 at 4:02 pm

    [...] and taking in the wonder and beauty all around me. Oh, and I will also be playing along over at High Calling Focus and The High Calling with our Photo Prompt so grab our badge and read the instructions below and [...]

  5. Claire writes:
    No. 5 — August 15th, 2011 at 6:13 am

    Yeah it is one of those soul searching ones…

  6. Claire writes:
    No. 6 — August 15th, 2011 at 6:14 am

    Connie sometimes our art needs to go deep, take us to places where we might be scared to go in order for us to grow. I think that is what art is for, in many ways.

    Look forward to seeing what you create.

  7. Kim Alford writes:
    No. 7 — August 15th, 2011 at 10:37 am

    Awesome piece. Thanks for inviting me to join the challenge! <3

  8. Connie@raise your ey writes:
    No. 8 — August 16th, 2011 at 12:33 am

    "My story" images are uploaded…hopefully the sonnet will pull together in the next few days.

  9. More Real than Real: Was Jesus an Artist? Are you? | High Calling Focus writes:
    No. 9 — August 16th, 2011 at 10:14 pm

    [...] Skip to content HomeWho We Are ← PhotoPlay: Who, What, Where, When, Why? [...]

  10. Claire writes:
    No. 10 — August 17th, 2011 at 6:09 am

    only a pleasure… you are an important part of the group kim : )

  11. Claire writes:
    No. 11 — August 17th, 2011 at 6:09 am

    i cannot wait to see it soon…

  12. » Fantasy’s Cloak Raise your eyes to see The Hand of GOD~~lean in to hear His Heartbeat writes:
    No. 12 — August 19th, 2011 at 1:19 am

    [...] My attempt at a sonnet in response to challenge by High Calling Focus [...]

  13. Connie@raise your ey writes:
    No. 13 — August 18th, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    My attempt at a sonnet of my history…
    http://raiseyoureyes.dreamhosters.com/?p=250

  14. Genevieve @ Turquois writes:
    No. 14 — August 31st, 2011 at 5:38 pm

    I added my photos even though I missed the deadline. I loved this photoplay!!
    Genevieve @ Turquois recently posted..One ThousandMy Profile
    Genevieve @ Turquois recently posted..One ThousandMy Profile

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