Photographer: Alexander
Reviewed by Sindy Püssa
http://www.flickr.com/photos/karello/sets/72157626902652864/This set of photographs is made up of a mixture of images that are both straightforward as well as shrouded in a veil of obscurity. The viewer sees it all, while not actually seeing anything specific. There are no people in these photos, we only see an occasional hand in the frame. Although almost all of the pictures are made at school or at home, thereby being very specific to this boy, the lack of the faces of parents, friends or the child himself in this set is what makes this story a universal one.
The photographs of the school, the house, his street and the nature are all clear and although they are of places special to this particular boy, they all have something so quintessentially London about each one of them that this set illustrates the life of a typical Estonian child living here. (photos #09,13,07)
The way all the trees and bushes in the garden grow right up against the walls and artificial barriers is quite similar to the way a person might feel, growing up in a big city with millions of people around and with few open spaces around. Furthermore, the house seems to be just inches apart from the neighbouring buildings and the cars are parked on both sides of the street, creating a single narrow lane. There is an overall feeling of a lack of personal space and very little room to manoeuvre. An eloquent metaphor is the photograph of the arborvitae, struggling to thrive despite the black plastic right behind it, unmercifully bending it down. (photo #12)
The personal shots, however, are visually very different and the contrast with the outside shots is eloquent. The dog, his room, his hobbies and achievements represented by the markers and victory cup tell a very personal story. Although revealing a lot more of the boy, most of the detail is obscured by the grainy darkness. As if his beloved pet, his possessions and his space were far too private to be photographed clearly and put out there for everyone to see. The personal details remain barely perceivable, just like the map of Estonia on one of the photos, that can remain unrecognisable to someone for whom it has no personal significance and who does not possess prior knowledge of the contours of this tiny country. (photo #04)
But the fact that it is there makes a world of a difference to this boy. Just like all the other things that surround him each day it is a piece of the kaleidoscope that makes up his life and makes perfect sense to him. His world is laid out before us in this collage of snapshots. We just have to look harder, and there, behind the shroud of graininess, we will see a very personal story of a boy whose life may seem similar to, albeit of course being completely unique, the lives of all the other Estonian children living in London.
The composition of this image is just perfect. (photo #05) Although the location seems to be a park, nothing specific of a certain place is revealed and we are left with a poetic meditation, a beautiful image loaded with semiotic symbols which offer many different readings.
