I was wandering about an antique store when I happened upon some old family photographs. Just anonymous people in forgotten places in suburbia in times not so long ago. There were no markings on them – no names, dates, places or other details to give voice to the voiceless. It brought to mind an old Israeli novel by Ronit Matalon in which she created a story based on unfamiliar photos such as these. Not knowing the story behind them, she simply made one up. It’s a totally mimetic ekphrasis experience. Sound Greek to you? It should, because, well it is. But to boil it down to a more graspable concept – it is in essence taking an existing image (artistic or realistic) and finding literary inspiration in it.
While it seems sad to think that your treasured family photos might end up in some store being fondled by strangers long after you’re dead- it gave me an idea. Most of us don’t label our photos, because we know who is who. But if these photos are tossed to the wind in one or more generations after we’re gone, how are they going to know who your mum and dad were or the occasion which someone thought should be captured for eternity? Sure, we could all go through our collections and get everything labeled and detailed to avert being erased after we’re long gone. But, wouldn’t it be fun to beat the people of the future to the punch by letting loose those ekphrastic inclinations before someone who doesn’t even know the people in the photos does at some point far into the future?
I’m quite tempted to take some of my favorite family photos and write a short story on the back of them, making up a narrative that truly captures the spirits of those represented in the photo. I’d love to make my loved ones famous and maybe even infamous as I imagine the perplexed expressions of those in the future who flip the photo over and get more than they bargained for. Not a blank space, nor menial details such as “Grandma’s birthday 1962”, but a short, sparkling narrative that might make the reader laugh, cry, or simply smile with satisfaction at having been thoroughly and unexpectedly entertained.
K's Pensées 