Why do we always choose to believe in lies? Why do we always look back to our regrets? Inspired by my personal stories, this collage was inspired by white hair. When I was little, I used to pick out white hair for my dad. It had always been a ritual of ours until my mom brought my brother and I to Canada while my dad ran back and forth from Taiwan to Canada. The very last time he asked me to pluck out his white hair was right before I left for college. The way that I see it, by removing his white hair, I am reversing time, or at least, extending the present moment. The action of removing his white hair, one by one, I am bringing back his youth. I am bringing back the moment and chances for him to cherish his time with me. He has always regretted missing the six years of my life. In this context, white hair not only symbolizes the passage of time, but also our vulnerability to accept reality. We escape ourselves by ignoring the presence of truth. We are the prisoners of time.
Sources:
Blue skies smiin’ at me. Personal photograph by Tim Schapker. July 02, 2008.
Peeling Paint. Personal photograph by Rolf Müller. January 12, 2009.
Didion, Joan, and John Leonard. We tell ourselves stories in order to live: collected nonfiction. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.
