I am only a caretaker of these images ~
these visual stories of the past for future generations. Chosen by fate
and providence, I
consider it a honor and bond of trust between myself, my elders, my community,
and especially to the photographers who made them.
I am a bridge, a communicator, a
facilitator, and some have called me a gatekeeper ~ between those who came before
to my generation and to future generations. I am also a Shadow Catcher.
Story Tellers have passed on oral history
through the ages verbally; I am one of the Shadow Catchers who pass on visual
history.
These
photographs have come to me from many places and from many people; most
were elders who cared as I do to preserve them and share them. I have been
supported and encouraged along this journey that I came to love and
have also come to fear.
There is something deeply mysterious about
holding a Shadow of person in your hands and looking through the eyes of a
photographer onto real places and people who used to be here as I am now.
These Windows to the Past give a view
unlike a painting would. Its mental Time Travel and can be fun and exhilarating
and yet often, as when viewing our environment - deeply troubling.
Photography is visual communication and it
is very powerful. It crosses language and cultural boundaries effortlessly.
It teaches on many levels with no words and no sound. It is the language of the
21st Century and its children ~ and ever grows more powerful is this the digital
age.
Although I have personally purchased most
of these items, many photos have been donated into my care by the photographers
or other caretakers. They oddly believing
in my abilities and purpose when many times I have doubted that I was capable of
the responsibility.
However unsure of myself, it has always
been clear in my heart that I
am to make sure
that these photographs are not only to be preserved but to be shown and honored and that the
photographers who made them, unfunded by public monies, were to be respected for
their work and remembered for their contributions.
I am also
to make sure the next person or place they are
entrusted to, when I have completed my term, are also honorable caretaker/s and
understand what worlds of time and knowledge lie within each image.
Susan Plantenberg Parish, December 2009
Journeys of a Shadow Catcher
Timeline of The Susan Parish Collection
Susan's Blog
