Denise Solay
During my travels to Africa and Asia, collecting rare pieces to be used creating my collections of contemporary jewelry with “Hints of History”, I began taking pictures of these exotic people and places. My photographs captured the lifestyles and mores of disappearing cultures.
But, as more and more people began to opt out of wearing traditional dress, and started to look like they could be from anywhere, I started to look for other images to capture the history of these fascinating places…
…. until, one afternoon in Marrakech, I finally realized the visual treasures I was passing every day…
Walls!
Since then, I have walked the lanes and derbs of places like Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Delhi, Jakarta, Sana'a, Nouakchott, Cairo, Rangoon/Yangon, and even New York, looking for exciting images of walls… Walls that look like abstract impressionist paintings and preserve the distinctive history of each culture.
Time, weather and man, may change the image of these walls, but glimpses of their origins endure. I try to capture them as they are in this moment, to preserve their heritage, and enjoy the beauty and meaning of their history.
Many are like abstract impressionist paintings, but with a much deeper message. One of different cultures… different environments… and different moments in time.
Poet, William Wordsworth once said…“Pictures deface walls more often than they decorate them”
But now, walls can be decorated with beautiful pictures of defaced walls.
