Image of the week… Rummaging through my material

25th June 2023

Rummaging through my material of the “Youth without age -LWD” work I stumbled across this tableau. The tiny details flung me back to the day we entered this school in a remote village in Maramureș. Despite the sun beaming down the concrete walls harvested the cold and sent a blanket of ice right through to my bones. We recced with a very helpful caretaker/gatekeeper who guided us to any open doors. It became solemnly clear that this school would soon no longer exist. The classrooms hadn’t changed for decades and the school materials were beautifully archaic. There were store cupboards hoarding gigantic, illustrated maps of animals being dissected. Various specimens in jars of formaldehyde were darted around the rooms. It was a set designers dream.
Layered up I returned a few days later with permission from the school and parents to take pictures.
This gymnasium acted as our main stage. I gathered our treasures and began to build a scene. Looking back after all these years I see glimpses of objects and youthful excited faces. It was a day of play and I can’t help but wonder what lies in that spot now.
OAO x

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