Life is series of small moments began when my first daughter Edie became old enough to alter our surrounding domestic landscape—I was fascinated by the strangely beautiful way she created imaginative setups and the odd underlying order that emerged out of the messiness and frenetic nature of our day-to-day lives. I existed in a changing stream of child-driven installations, and I wanted to document and examine this world.
I was also drawn to the quirky way she moved, as well as to the points of stillness I could see within her whirlwind of play. When my second daughter June was born even more domestic vistas were opened, and life became that much more chaotic; strangely, my images became that much more quiet. Taking photographs was, and still is, my way of pinning down fleeting moments, and an attempt to find a certain poetry in disorder.
As I continue this series what has ultimately risen up the most for me is a sense of painful impermanence—a recurring feeling of loss and nostalgia for the recent past, brought on by watching how rapidly my girls change and grow. Because I know I can’t take these pictures forever a sort of bittersweet sense of gratitude has become a permanent part of my emotional and artistic landscape, and a fundamental driving force behind my work.
All images © Elizabeth Fleming
Every week the guys at Dead Porcupine Mag choose a photographic work among their publications to be featured on Dude Magazine.
Dead Porcupine Mag, founded and curated by Raffaele Capasso and Francesco Claudio Cipolletta is a free online blog/magazine which aims to showcase talented photographers from around the world together with reporting hot topics and articles about contemporary photography. We strongly believe photography is about sharing ideas, emotions and experiences: that’s why we encourage fellow photographers and artists to contribute with their works.
