Passage of Time: Found images captured from under the Evanston El

Under the El

Photographs taken from 2013 until the present

The photographs of walls depict the passage of time, documenting that as things age they can become more beautiful.  It’s important to look at the beauty of every moment, every age.  The walls are familiar to us because we pass them everyday.  They remain steady and long lasting while the world moves past them.  Subject to their own deterioration as a result of time and natural elements, found images emerge along the textures of peeling or chipped paint, cracks, rust drips, layered paint spots from covered graffiti, mold, and the seasonal changes that affect the colors, revealing the beauty of decay and imperfection.

People seem to be slightly surprised and confounded at how time passes.  I’m fascinated by the repeated conversations I’ve had with people, friends and myself, even hearing my daughter talk about this inescapable reality of time unfolding and always losing the moment, moving into another moment.  It reflects the Buddhist idea of impermanence, inevitable change, which makes me even more aware of being in the moment.  Capturing the moment.  

My eyes have always been drawn to the imperfections in walls, documenting many walls around Evanston under the El and other places.   For four years, I have watched and documented one particular wall spot under the South Boulevard El that continues to change with the seasons in color, shape and dimension - always alive and changing.  I like to think of it as a visual demonstration of the beauty of aging.

Maybe we need to spread that idea into our own lives instead of taking on the dominant stories of aging in our society/culture that consider aged people as old and used and worn out, not worthy or valued.  We need to embrace the value of aging, see the beauty and knowledge that comes with it -- and create new stories that reflect the creativity, vitality and wisdom of lives learned and earned.