Had a special moment tonight, a few years ago in Vancouver had something similar happen, not sure how to put it into words. I was in the Degas gallery at the end of the course and kind of wandered off and looked at the Litttle Dancer bronze sculpture on my own. The rest of the group was listening to the course teacher in another part of the gallery. I had Little Dancer all to myself, I looked up at her face and thought, looked and thought and then looked and felt. It was a strange feeling that lasted about 45 seconds, a feeling like the hair raising on your neck but also a feeling like I could not breath, like I could not catch my breath, it was a joyful good feeling, a feeling of awe.
I think back to some of the women I photographed in Cambodia, some of the Vietnamese women working the brothels. They had a look of resolve and strength to them, a sadness but also a strong independence. I wonder if this girl Marie (the Little Dancer) had the same problems, the same poverty, the same relationships with men and parents as the girls in the Cambodian brothels.
It seems so right that Degas gave this strong independent young lady artistic immortality, she deserved it. I hope I can also give a voice to the often forgotten people with my work. I want them to be remembered, to give them a lasting importance that maybe they did not have a chance at in real life.
