Mirages

Janina Fleckhaus

Mirages

photographs and concept by janina fleckhaus

Mirages

Michelle Kroskey

A ref lectionof leaves and sea.

My veins ache to grow into

this place.

A mountain of memory surrounds me.

Time does not exists.

My f lesh, no longera barrier

the ocean wavestake me in.

The colors overwhelm.Blues and greens

melt together and I drown

in a beautifulturquoise hue.

Memories & Mirages

Nature is embedded within our very own bodies. The flesh envelops the soft organs and veins, carrying messages to and from the ground below. The Earth whispers secrets into our minds, evoking colorful images. A dreamy haze blurs the vision, clouding the line between fiction and reality. Memories and dreams merge together like sea and sky creating a blue translucent dust. Our hearts are tied to specific places and fleeting moments which we yearn for through revisited memories and dreams. Fighting the dissolve of memory, longing to never forget. We wade into bodies of water, our feet sinking into the muddy

ground below, looking for a deeper meaning with all that surrounds us. We need only be quiet for just a few moments. Quiet your mind and listen to the wisdom of the Earth. Listen to the ground below and the sky above. Stand amongst the ocean and you will understand the vast scale of the universe. Time spent amongst the greens, blues and pinks of the outdoors reminds us of the fragility and strength which surrounds us. Our memories of places and times long since past are sometimes our only connection to this wonderful and amazing power. / Michelle Kroskey

Timeless Nature

Imagine you can grab a snapshot of your most peaceful and memorable dream or capture the nostalgia of your carefree teenage summers. Allow these images to take you into an ethereal world of light dancing on trees, an intimate nature and a place where time can be forgotten. They are valuable reminders that time and money are not the components needed to make the most of your surroundings. Rather, it‘s the lack of these that‘s needed to enjoy environment. Perhaps your town has cinemas, clubs and coffee bars, like so many others, but it‘s only when you tep outside the urban boundaries that you discover the charm of the environment. Just a further five minutes from your usual walking route is a large reservoir where many breeds of birds and types of trees form a vacuum of timeless, quiet peace. It is here that you can go as often as possible to escape the buzz of everyday life. Follow your imagination with these polaroids. Elderly couples wander past, still holding hands after many years. The Cornish light kisses the water. Little children squeal with joy as they throw breadcrumbs to the ducks. This enchanting place doesn‘t cost.

Somewhere on this planet, is your heart. Perhaps you can‘t reach the place that feels home to you but maybe you can find a reflection of it where you are now. If you‘ve found your home, then don‘t let the demands of 24/7 modern life stop you from keeping in touch with what it was that first captured you about this place. It could be a view from a particular spot or the just the way the wind feels where you live. No matter where you are, try to recognise a trait of it that endears you. In this age of technology it is easy to get caught up in the rush and lose connection with the one thing that is always standing still for us; nature. Though these photos present a world that seem the stuff of daydreams, that type of enchanting imagery is available to you now. It‘s the landscape seen from the top of a city building or the change of seasonal colour in tree leaves. The nostalgia of Summer and Childhood days can be a feeling that you relive now, no matter where you are. Bet on which raindrop will fall fastest on your window or try to spot something you‘ve never seen before on your regular walking route. Whatever it is you do, fall in love with your environment and most importantly, forget time. / Tiffany Naylor

About this Project

The natural elements and landscapes mirror our own thoughts and feelings. They symbolize life and should be seen as the divine on earth. Being in nature means leaving our worries behind. Here and now does not matter, it is about being in timeless harmony. Our inner feelings are reflected to the outside, become one with the nature that surrounds you and irreconcilable differences start flowing together. Dream and reality cannot be distinguished. There is a space between the image and ourselves, where our deepest feelings come into being. Our desires are reflected on the never-ending sea, our memories in every leaf. While looking at the infinite nature our dreams become reality. These landscapes reflect my longing to Cornwall, England, where I lived for six months. I fell deeply in love with the nature that surrounded me. Back home everything looks sad and grey.

I yearn for the images of my memory, where the grass is greener and the sea endless. This is a place where time does not matter. As if someone took a quick Polaroid of this precious moment. As soon as you press the button the moment becomes a memory. It is the past which is now closed, in a small photograph that can be held as an object in your hands. The Polaroid is your memory, and when time comes it will fade away like the memories of your childhood. I look to the far away horizon where the blue of the sea melts together with the sky, where boundaries are dissolving. Seeing this made me realize that the concept of home is not just the place where I grew up. It is the new world that became my home. The longer I turn my gaze away the more I long for this place. I left my heart in the nature of Cornwall and all that is left are the colourful pastel images of my memories. / Janina Fleckhaus

These photographs were taken with a SX-70 Polaroid camera and instant film material of the Impossible Project.

credits

— layout —janina fleckhaus

— type — melisa karakus

— text —michelle kroskey

florida, usa

tiffany naylor cornwall, england janina fleckhaus

— model — roseanna marie barnes

julia müllerjanina fleckhaus

— support— university of applied sciences

and arts dortmund prof. cindy gates

ute noll— special thanks to —the impossible project

bradley barneswiebke becker

katharina bödekerlisa marie grigsby marlene herden

sabrina lewesvetlana mychkine

julia müllerhenning ross

yannik willing

ⓒ 2012 janina fleckhausall rights reserved