Your uncertain shadow


the last year of the decade and the last year of my 30s in no particular order 

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fall in love, cross the pond 3 (6) times, make 8000 miles across the US, get badly heart-broken

visit belarus for the first time for anyone in my family since the 1930s

re-discover a building in st petersburg with a 300-year history and where accidentally four of my past generations lived in the 20th century

re-connect my family branches 100 years later in detroit, london and other places

dig out from under the ground a family grave in berlin’s jewish cemetery

stretch the family research into the 18th century out of one name dig out a hundred names of ancestors for a friend and a lover who is not either of those any longer

take my dad to italy to celebrate his 75th, walk together in acqua alta, hop on 7 islands in 2 days in no haste

add berlin to my collection of camera & computer robberies in london and havana

lose £1200 from being scammed while looking/paying for a place to stay in london

fly over the handlebars of my bike the morning after the general election

get inspired by sally mann’s “a thousand crossings”, dave heath “dialogues with solitude”, olafur eliasson “in real life” and dora maar’s exhibitions

start asking tough questions when visiting local history, gulag and jewish museums

learn about american civil rights movement

get a remote job

start learning yiddish and italian

live with chronic back pain

make a hand-made book

lose weight unintentionally

learn more about empathy

make plans

fail plans

make new plans

photograph

write

make friends

continue to hope

dream

dream

dream

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title and images  from Olafur Eliasson’s 2019 exhibition “In Real Life” at Tate Modern, London