"J'ai vu plus d'épine dans les méduses..."
Some months ago I fell quite hard for a lovely young woman. There were hints and promises that the affection was returned, but ultimately it was not to be, and we parted ways with much bitterness on her part, which I have yet to understand. It has been one of the the hardest periods of my life...
Her name bears a passing resemblance to the word "carrot", and through a strange set of circumstances, she somewhat flirtatiously made that connection with me (and me alone) in odd and often-repeated ways. I've since begun photographing carrots as a sort of catharsis, (an experience looked somewhat askance upon in today's world), working my way through this as best I can. This will be a portfolio in two editions, though it may take years to work through. One portfolio will be for me, and one, I hope, someday, a gift for her.
The spines of the books are a visual metaphor for the spine of her back, following the shape of her hips, waist, shoulders, and neck. She was (is) a very literate and literary person; books seemed a fitting metaphor. Several of the books, though not identifiable, hold special meaning for us and were worked into her body according to their sizes. I portrayed her with some modesty, which I hope, if she knew, she would appreciate.
There are three small stars across the books. She had the pattern of Orion's Belt across her back in three small moles, at just the right arc and angle. Such little things were very special to her, and of course, very special to me...
There are other somewhat-hidden references in the image I choose to keep private. But she would know, I think...
The title is in French, which she spoke beautifully, and came from her. It translates to "I've seen more spine in jellyfish", and may have been directed at me... or perhaps not; she was often cryptic about her sources, meanings, and her intended target, deliberately and dismissively so. "Meduses" is French for jellyfish, and derives, I suspect, from Medusa, known for her hair. Hence, the foliage of the carrots became the hair falling down her back.
Many of the carrot photographs are titled in French, most words are hers, a few are mine. Most have such back-stories and meanings. This is what she's given me to work with.
The only technical detail of any importantance is that the light was timed and calculated to allow for a twelve minute exposure for the negative (this was how long it took us to part ways), at f/32 (the negative was made 32 days after our separation).
After thirty-some years of large format photography, this was the first "nude" I had ever done. It seemed like it was time...
