Lost Rolls: The Archive
Image 19 of 348
Less

Elizabeth Kamir

1. When was this photo taken?

1990

2. Where was this photo taken?

Somewhere in the Basque Country in Spain

3. Who took this photo?

I did.

4. What are we looking at here?

The girls pictured are the nieces of my then boyfriend (who would later become a celebrated filmmaker; Spain's Goya-decorated, national treasure). These little girls used to call me 'tía' all those years ago. I loved them. Our summer days were filled with pretend play and song and dance and I thought that they would always be in my life. And then for reasons I barely understand even today, I ran.

5. How does this old photo make you feel?

Wistful. Hailing from a small, complicated family back in my native lower Manhattan, my then boyfriend's carefree, loving family in Spain was to me the stuff of mythology. Quickly I became enmeshed in the fabric of this family; their otherworldliness was the antidote to my own life back in New York.

6. Is this what you expected to see?

No. The old roll of Tr-X that had taken up residence in my drawer for nearly 30 years always dared me to imagine. I never planned to develop it. I assumed if there was anything on the roll, it would either be something innocuous, like pictures of my grandmother or something embarrassing, like theatrical, nude self portraits. I might have taken pictures like that back then.

7. What kind of memories does this photo bring back?

The photos bring back a memory of time and a place, but more than that, they remind me of way I looked at the world as a young woman on the cusp of adulthood. These photos provoke a strong sense of longing in me; for youth and the illusion of its endless possibilities.

8. How do you think others will respond to this photo?

Behind these pictures of lost 'relatives' & girlish rapture is a young woman behind the camera, consumed by passion & uncertainty. But without the background, without the context, I am not really sure what people will see or how they will respond

Copyright
Elizabeth Kamir
Image Size
1700x1109 / 1.5MB
Keywords
1. When was this photo taken?<br /> <br /> 1990<br /> <br /> 2. Where was this photo taken?<br /> <br /> Somewhere in the Basque Country in Spain<br /> <br /> 3. Who took this photo?<br /> <br /> I did.<br /> <br /> 4. What are we looking at here?<br /> <br /> The girls pictured are the nieces of my then boyfriend (who would later become a celebrated filmmaker; Spain's Goya-decorated, national treasure). These little girls used to call me 'tía' all those years ago. I loved them. Our summer days were filled with pretend play and song and dance and I thought that they would always be in my life. And then for reasons I barely understand even today, I ran.<br /> <br /> 5. How does this old photo make you feel?<br /> <br /> Wistful. Hailing from a small, complicated family back in my native lower Manhattan, my then boyfriend's carefree, loving family in Spain was to me the stuff of mythology. Quickly I became enmeshed in the fabric of this family; their otherworldliness was the antidote to my own life back in New York.<br /> <br /> 6. Is this what you expected to see?<br /> <br /> No. The old roll of Tr-X that had taken up residence in my drawer for nearly 30 years always dared me to imagine. I never planned to develop it. I assumed if there was anything on the roll, it would either be something innocuous, like pictures of my grandmother or something embarrassing, like theatrical, nude self portraits. I might have taken pictures like that back then.<br /> <br /> 7. What kind of memories does this photo bring back?<br /> <br /> The photos bring back a memory of time and a place, but more than that, they remind me of way I looked at the world as a young woman on the cusp of adulthood. These photos provoke a strong sense of longing in me; for youth and the illusion of its endless possibilities.<br /> <br /> 8. How do you think others will respond to this photo?<br /> <br /> Behind these pictures of lost 'relatives' & girlish rapture is a young woman behind the camera, consumed by passion & uncertainty. But without the background, without the context, I am not really sure what people will see or how they will respond