Trajectory of Hope

It is said that there is always a child living in the heart of every adult, one who never grows up. I must admit that shooting the "Hand and Eyes" series awakened that child in me. My strange and quirky ideas obviously originated from him.

Come to think of it, sports or games often involve a stick or a bat to hit a ball: badminton, tennis, baseball, cricket, golf, squash, and so on. Then there is the use of hands or feet to make direct contact with the ball: basketball, football, netball, and the list goes on.

It seems that this is related to the ancient human activity of foraging for food. Hunting requires a weapon or some sort of gear.

Since shooting the "Hands and Eyes" series, various scenes have popped up in my mind from time to time. Recently, this image appeared: a pale hand holding a golf club and striking an eye towards a goal. The club appeared primitive; the shaft was a tree branch, the club head was a stone, and the background was boundless.

The vision haunted my mind for some time. I reckon it would keep appearing unless it was brought to life.

Photography

I scouted the woods for clubs and found a straight branch. I stripped its bark and tied a rock to it with twine. The rest of the branch was painted red and made into a gate.

“After all, how could they miss such a fun game?”

When I discussed the idea with the model, she was obviously very keen to take part. After all, how could they miss such a fun game?

The shoot went well. Apparently, it took more time to prepare the props than it did to shoot.

Looking at the final result, the child in me smiled. He could not be happier.