My photographs look for an incarnate element of God in the
world around us. There is in all things an invisible
fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a 'hidden
wholeness', as Thomas Merton put it.
Often I focus on elements in our contemporary society. Do
these elements suggest the incarnate, paying homage to it?
Is it an uneasy juxtaposition, or all of one fabric?
My direct work with homeless individuals at Trinity
Episcopal Cathedral has been a source of incarnation
strength for me in the past 5 years.
I also have organized photography workshops through Trinity
Cathedral for the past 4 years. These have led participants
to various sites throughout Cleveland industrial and
natural settings. We have met for group critiques, and have
had guest photographers join us.
I was photographing in 'The Flats', an industrial
section of Cleveland on the Cuyahoga River. I was outside a
recycling plant. All around me was abandoned junk.
On the side of a train car I saw this graffiti. The image of
the heart conjures questions for me. Who did this, and who's
your Mama? How will it be for you in matters of tenderness,
care, and devotion? Is God breaking through in your midst?
Lydia Bailey
lydiabailey@adelphia.net
