Project Statement – The Wild Cosmos
The photographs and recorded prose in The Wild Cosmos chronicle my interior journey through life and profound loss. Even as an adult, nothing prepared me for when the stars–my mom, dad, and brother–fell from the sky. Seeking solace, I immersed myself in the land and in my art, trusting that my world would right itself.
Looking for light in the darkness, I retraced the cross country trips of my youth and explored the backroads of Maine. I wanted to rekindle the wonder of my untethered childhood while remembering those I had lost.
My sense of wonder comes from my spiritual, emotional and physical connection to the natural world. My parents loved the outdoors, and each summer, our family piled into the Suburban along with tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, and our small collection of 8-track tapes. We’d wind our way across the country, from Maine to California, sleeping under the stars.
Nature is a portal to survival. Much like the transcendentalists, I believe that it is essential to experience the simplicity and solitude of nature to better understand oneself. I emerged resilient like the wild cosmos, a wildflower that can thrive in almost any circumstance.
The images in The Wild Cosmos are grouped into categories from my experiences: loss, whimsy, wonder, and mysticism. I pair my photographs with audio versions of my writing loosely based on my journal of field notes and dreams. Both my photography and my recorded prose are love letters to places, memories, dreams and family. Each is an invitation to pay attention to life, and reconsider grief as a natural, wonder-filled experience.
Diane Hemingway – Bio
Diane Hemingway is an artist who tells stories of life through photography and interdisciplinary media. Her photographic work, which includes written and recorded prose, explores the spiritual, emotional, and physical link between the natural world, memory, and lived experience.
Hemingway received her BS in Business from the University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire and her MFA, from Maine Media College, Rockport Maine. She lives and works in Maine.
Information
Diane makes images with a digital DSLR camera.
Website: www.dianedhemingway.com
IG: @dianedhemingway
Email: diane@dianedhemingway.com
