Final - Davey Amaryllis

Imagine the page of a novel blurred through a pair of foggy reading glasses.  There is a story on that page, and though one can trace the pads of their fingers over the texture of the paper, they can only make guesses at what sort of story it may be.  One can assume the protagonist has overcome great adversity. An observer may make deductions about the time the characters took to heal, and how that experience might impact them.

A scar is much the same; a mark we carry with us everywhere, and though it may fade from our memory on occasion we remember the story each time we notice it on our skin.  A scar is a quiet reminder of our humanity—something I find quite beautiful⁠—and yet even the people who let me photograph them admit they try to hide their scars regularly under clothing or makeup.  By allowing me to document their blurred pages, these people displayed a certain amount of vulnerability. That vulnerability, I think, is what makes a collection like this special.

In truth it is an incredibly intimate experience, sharing in each person’s recollection even though I can never fully know their memories.  As I look over these images I recall embarrassed chuckles at admissions to clumsy accidents, and bittersweet accounts of hard times. Sometimes the smallest marks are what is left after weeks of miserable nights in the hospital, and some others may bring proud smiles to the bearer’s lips even if the mark is deep and sprawling.  If pictures are worth a thousand words, then surely a scar is worth dozens of memories.

These stories are diverse and personal, so in that spirit, my true hope for this collection is to inspire a sense of intimate curiosity as the viewer thumbs through the pages.  Who are these people? What are their stories? Just like the words printed on the page of a novel, each image is a portal into understanding that individual. It is our great pleasure to attempt to piece them together.

To some, however, these connections are more difficult to make.  Perhaps the scar strikes no chord or meaning, maybe the title is more confusing to you than insightful.  I think, though, there is a valuable lesson in that outcome as well. As humans we hardly ever have the full story, and we may be tempted to ignore people’s scars just as much as we may be tempted to jump to conclusions about them.  Just how much do we know about the strangers around us, and even the individuals we cherish? Sometimes it takes a certain amount of humility to accept that the attempt of understanding can be far more valuable than having the answer.