Where am I Headed?

Where am I headed this semester? Good question.  I have a few things stirring and brewing.  Sometimes I feel a bit like Alice, not sure which fork in the road to take because my destination is somewhat undetermined. 

Fig. 1 Slade 2017. Wonderlanding.

Previously I have been focusing my project specifically on children facing childhood opposition, creating fine art pieces of imagination.  The children I feature are amazing, the strongest of believers.  But somehow closing the focus on them alone still creates a sense of 'other' in their representation.

Fig. 2 Slade 2018. Livvy.

Imagination is universal in childhood, in fact, universal in all human ages, as Rob Gonsalves discovered.  Gonsalves is best known for his images of surrealism, that he calls 'Magic Realism' (Huckelberry 2014).  His images often contain optical illusions and a great use of alternate perspectives.  Gonsalves was pleased when he found his work resonated in many countries, crossing culture and language barriers, and appreciated throughout the world (Huckelberry 2014).

Books Available by Rob Gonsalves

This semester I hope to expand my focus to celebrate Imagination in broader terms. Still recognizing and featuring children facing opposition but expanding the collection to be inclusive and celebratory of childhood and the world inside the mind.

I'm going to try a few new strategies this semester, and possibly shoot for pulling together a (gasp!) workshop (never done one before! but I have had interest).

Here is my potential line up for the semester:

•1-3 images created with/for two sisters that come from a biracial background- their mother is Korean and their father is African.  Their mother really would like images that represent both, symbolic of the children themselves.

•An image created for a special needs boy of 3.  His parents say he loves to get out of the house any chance he gets so I am thinking something possibly 'outerspace' related (what's more 'out of the house' than that?)

•An image for an autistic boy of 5.  Still collaborating to get a clear concept there.

And my two biggest projects this semester will be:

•A massive photoshoot at the firestation- involving 7-9 kids, two fire trucks, the fire chief, a volunteer firefighter, and 2-3 dogs!  It's apt to be quite the production.  There is quite a bit of planning in the details here and I hope I can pull it all together successfully.  I plan to create multiple mini-story images that pull together to tell one story.
•Workshop.  Me, 10 photographers and as many kids dressed as their imaginations fancy- warriors, lost boys, medieval, etc.  The focus will be on storytelling. 





Figure 1. Slade, Bren 2017. Wonderlanding. Available at www.onceuponapix.com.
Figure 2. Slade, Bren 2019. Wonderlanding. Available at www.BrenSlade.com.

Huckleberry Fine Art Gallery 2014. Rob Gonsalves: Surrealist Painter. [You Tube documentary] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkzxDkv5MvQ