Personal Project (2016 - 2018)
Inspired by a quote in a movie by David Lynch ('The Straight Story'): "The worst thing of being old is remembering being young."
96 year old Daphne - has lived in the same house in Edgware since 1954, the year she got married. This is where she raised her two children Philip & Marion; she is remembering the time when they were little as the photograph was taken. The flowery teacup and the jacket are both presents from her daughter. Daphne remarks that she hasn't had a professional portrait taken before in her lifetime, except for her marriage picture.
Nick - Imagined his baby granddaughter as she was bathed in the kitchen sink: “As one gets older, the importance in life changes. The things that I used to live for when I was younger are no longer important. I loved my work; I had a very happy and rewarding life, but it was all about providing. Now, all that I care for is the well-being of my daughters (and my grandchildren).
Judy - Embracing life: “Love; there is so much love about life. I learned so much from nature and animals. Love is everywhere. There are seagulls by my house; I feed them in the morning. That makes me really happy. Life is actually very simple.”
Virginia - Moved and inspired by the importance of saving wild life animals: “The little footprint (in my hand) is from a lion: for me it is the symbol of wild Africa. But I don’t want it just be an ornament in my hand. I want to see it on the African soil – then I will know that the work we do at ‘Born Free’ has not lived in vain – that my grandchildren will still see animals in the wild – sharing the world with humans as is their right. We like to be recognized as individuals. Animals deserve no less, and they & their wild lands need our protection as never before.”
Film producer Terence: “Very early on in my film industry career, Hugh Attwooll (European Head of Disney) gave me some advice: ‘Always do the best you can, give it all you’ve got. Impress people on how enthusiastic you are. Don’t walk if you can run!’ This was very good advice, I always followed it.”
In the picture Terence is memorising his friendship to Richard Attenborough: “From all the people I met in the industry, David was one of the nicest directors one can think of. He showed kindness and appreciation to everybody on set, no matter if he/she was just a runner or working in the production team. I loved working for him.”
Alan has worked ‘hands on’ on countless elaborate film sets including Star Wars V. He states that nobody ever imagines how much work and preparation goes into the details of movie making: “These hands have created many things, but my feet, they have walked a million miles. One has to look after them”.
Tatiana, book publisher: “Don’t give up at any time. There will be times when tremendous sadness happens in your life. Accept it and grieve, and then move on. There is a time for everything, but living in grief is not normal; it is not a natural state of being. The most important thing is LOVE. My parents blessed me with their wisdom; they taught me that responsibility for my acts comes from within. I don’t have to forgive as I don’t put blame on anyone.
As a publisher, bringing the written word into print is fantastic. Print will never die; a book is forever. A book is like life, like a seed that grows into leaves and roots and flowers – and this will bring happiness to people.”