Shadow Places – Seven
For this commission, Amy has created a series of photographic self-portraits titled Shadow Places and accompanying creative writing/spoken text about living with complex post traumatic stress disorder.
Image Description
Landscape oriented photo A soft grey blue seascape. There is wet shiny sand in the foreground leading to pebbles and rocks. In the middle is a calm, rippled sea, and slightly to the tight of the centre of the image is a figure in black draped clothing. They are holding a walking stick and are up to their knees in the sea. There are two crows in flight, one to the left and one to the right of the image. There is a small island towards the horizon and soft grey hills in the distance. The sky is pale blue (top third of image) with some fluffy clouds. There is a sense of calm to the image.
Spoken Text
Old hay spiral in the special woods
Stones piled on giants’ knees
Seaweed oracles and painted moons
The pull of the waves
The smell of new seasons
Bring back the old ways
The old gods made of berries
The old gods made of berries and thorns
With their circles and cycles
Rhythms that unnerve our modern obstinance
Refusing what our bodies hold
They don’t talk, you know
An opaque screen blocks their embrace
They want to fuse
Wrenched and floating in separate seas
Fraught and finding ways back
They sense the other, though
Mycelium tingling under the walls
In this dark, trust is a luxury
With these frayings we need stronger rope
A better anchor
And in that cool silk lapping
The creaking of the old worn Wherry slows
It rests on the hungry sand
Letting the hull sink small
Letting the mast raise tall.