Space for Dreams #4
Pat Brassington
(2009)
Pigment Print
74 x 58cm
The image above by Pat Brassington reminds me of how most adults have helped perpetuated the idea that childhood is a time for dreaming and becoming. The ambiguous pink space here holds a child who is defying gravity, twisting her body as if to perhaps jump and spin. The movement and lack of shadow under the child’s body is surrealist, and calls attention to a deeper meaning, though I can’t say I know for sure what that is. I can assume that the image represents childhood as this space for dreaming and becoming, though the ambiguity of the photo adds to the interest, as the viewer is left waiting for something more. The hidden face and plain clothing add to the anonymity of the figure, though we can tell it is a child’s body, which leads me to believe that Brassington is touching on the idea of childhood dreams and what spaces and times are appropriate for those, as decided by the adult world. "Brassington blurs the boundaries of the real and imagined, stripping photography of its authority, bestowing it instead with the logic of dream or fantasy" (Stills Gallery). The surrealism calls attention to the universal dream of childhood playfulness and returning to that time that most associate with being a carefree time. I think the image also calls to the qualities of Papapetrou's The Wave Counter, because they both have this fantastical quality about them, involving this space between spaces.
Artist Biography: Available at Stills Gallery.
References: Stills Gallery
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