Observations of Awe

 What is awe? When was the last time you observed awe? When gazing at the stars? While standing at the base of mountain? At a concert? In a place of worship? While viewing a work of art? When making a work of art? These are all places where one would expect to find awe, but does it have to be a rare occasion? Do we only experience awe in moments of majesty, or can we also find awe in the ordinary or even the banal? Must things that evoke awe be beautiful, or can they even be repulsive? These are some of the questions I held while making these photographs. I tried to not look for moments of awe but instead to allow myself to humbly observe. Instead of actively looking, I witnessed what was revealed to me. 

One fundamental discovery I made was the importance of context on multiple levels. First is my personal context, my presence, where I was physically (on a hike, in a parking lot, at a fair, etc.) and consciously (was I intently looking or receptively observing). Next was the context within the frame of my camera. The experience of choosing what to include and exclude from the frame, and how to organize what I saw within the frame allowed me to have a unique, personal relationship with what was before me. Finally, the context of the group of photographs that were the result of my practice. When the photographed moments of awe were decontextualized from their original surroundings, and recontextualized with other photographs, new and unexpected visions of awe surfaced. I saw different occurrences of awe than I had initially observed. The meanings of the individual photographs changed depending on what other photographs were around them, and even the order in which they were arranged.

What I ultimately discovered is that if I allow myself to simply be and observe, awe is within us. It is not out there demanding to be noticed, but is instead inside of each of us, gently waiting to be awakened.

I welcome you to open yourself to the same experience.