July-August
Songs Without Words: Meditations
For me, music and photography have always been inextricably linked. Artists use both forms to tell stories, elicit feelings, or otherwise express the inexpressible. This idea was stated quite succinctly by Graham Nash who once observed: "To me there's absolutely no difference between photography and music. After all, I'm just playing with frequencies: light or sound."
The “Meditations” series, represents the ways photographs, like music, can tell stories without the need for words. Each image is a visual representation, or meditation on an idea expressed in much the same way as if improvised by a musician. Expressing thoughts that are often difficult to put into words.
These images are an exploration of musical meditations represented by the never-ending ebb and flow of ocean waves as they caress the beach. Classical composers would often create works intended to put the listener in a state of thoughtful calm or meditation. Music designed for the listener to relax and explore their inner thoughts. For me, listening to the ocean will produce the same effect. I approached this series in the same vein, listening to the sounds and recording my responses as I listened.
About Ray
Ray is a Visual Anthropologist based in Raleigh, NC. Rather than use words, he creates images to illustrate an idea, or create a narrative for the viewer to follow. When not searching for stories to tell, Ray has guest lectured, taught photography, and understanding creativity, for many educational and civic groups. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of the International Association of Panorama Photographers, he is also the moderator for the photographers’ forum at Visual Art Exchange, as well as an event/exhibition coordinator for the annual Click! Photography Festival. He also bakes great cookies.