The Spirits, I have summoned...

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The spirits, I have summoned… is a well-known line in Goethe’s poem Der Zauberlehrling (The Sorcerer's Apprentice). And though the story itself doesn’t quite fit here1, after seeing the submissions for my latest Call & Response Collaboration, I felt like the visual responses resonated with the line in some way.

You will see why in a moment.

For the second round of Call & Response2, I chose the photo above. It is a face, made of clay, decorated with leaves that serve as hair. These sometimes pop up on trees in my local park. My guess is that small groups from kindergarten are creating them, because most of these faces look far less elaborate than this one here. They don’t harm the tree, because they are usually made of natural materials (leaves, acorns, clay, etc.) and simply fall off and decompose after a few weeks.

Anyway, I sent out this photo with an invitation to send me a response to it. I received ten wonderful messages with photographs, which I then paired with my photo, and today I will show you each pairing alongside a few words - either from my collaborators or words that came to me when I looked at the photos together. If you would rather let the images speak for themselves, feel free to skip the writing.

This photo came from perfectlight. I like how it sparks your imagination and transports you right into some sort of wonderland where tiny fairies live and, well, need their wings checked from time to time.

I received this photo from Leon Goossens who wrote:

“I liked how your image made me think about transformation. Mine shows the creature freed from its tree and grown into a new life of its own. Two different photographs, but together they seem to tell a quiet story about growth, change, and the passing of time.”

I love how Leon interpreted the photo, and it resonates with me. What I especially like about his image is the tree on the left side. It feels like an important element connecting our two images, and it also underlines Leon's idea that the creature has transformed into something new.

Paul Jenkin sent me a photo he made near Brick Lane in London a few years ago. I love it. The faces peeking through the graffiti-covered brick walls feel like the urban version of the fellow I found on a tree in a park. Are they guardians of the street? Or miraculously trapped in those walls? We will probably never know…

Another urban interpretation came from Koustav Acharya. He found this scene near his workplace:

“Blue styrofoam cakes bundled hastily over the water pipe. The junctions where fire hoses are connected look like eyes. And the overall image looks like a face.

Finding faces in uncanny arrangements!”

I see funny faces everywhere, too! I can’t help it, but it always makes me smile. As did Koustav’s photo!

When Jeremy Clarke saw my photo, he immediately thought of this photo of a hollow tree he had once photographed in Berlin. It reminded him of a shrine, and I can totally see why: dream catchers, religious and spiritual odds and ends, flowers, motivational quotes and so on…

Quite interesting and a great match for my photo, in my opinion.

Anne Thomas, who is a close observer of the everyday -especially the natural world- sent me a couple of photos to choose from. I picked these two because I liked the different angles. I think they work well together, picking up on the natural elements of my photos. The colour palette of those photos was another reason why I decided to put these together.

I love that Donn Dobkin sent a portrait. And such a good one, too! It totally works for me. It is like a slightly frightening version of my “tree ghost” that has come to life and is now hiding in the bushes… I can’t decide whether he is an evil spirit or not, though!

I know of fairy rings: mushrooms that grow in circles. But I don’t think I have ever seen leaves floating in a circle on the water. Well seen, Todd Towell, who sent me the photo with the words:

“The circular leaves and color palette feel similar. Perhaps the face in your image is gazing down at this small pond.”

When I received Jill McDougall’s photograph, I smiled. What a lovely face to find on a hike. Maybe a distant cousin who is guarding the woods in the Pacific Northwest? Who knows? But I definitely like his mossy moustache! It is a great match for the leafy hairdo!

I am glad that Kate Caddell sent me her photo, because if there is a post related to mystical creatures in the woods, we can’t leave out the trolls by Thomas Dambo. Her troll is one of the five who reside in Rhode Island, and she photographed it from the back, showing its long hair.

A hearty thank you to all who participated. It is so fascinating to receive these messages, see the photos people picked in response to mine, and read about the connections they saw between the images.

It not only makes me see my own photo in many new ways, but it also shows how diverse the reception of a photograph can be.

That’s all from me today.

As always, thank you for being here! ❤️

X,

Susanne

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