The Bluebells Beside Us Unnoticed by Simone Peerdemam

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I often wonder why places are so much lovelier when I’m alone.

Society tells you, “Together it’s more cozy.” Solitude seems to be a taboo subject. “Oh really, you’re going alone?” Such behavior often has a negative association.

“The Bluebells Besides Us Unnoticed” is a meditation on the beauty of life reflected through careful attention on a simple object, interior, or even street portraits. By focusing carefully, I get a grip on life. By photographing what fascinates me, I accept myself as I am. At that moment I feel no restrictions or fear. The search for and recognition of my identity is what I photograph. As Albert Einstein said, “I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.” I’m discovering that aspect of my own life.

I project my self-chosen solitude on what I photograph, on scenes which tell a story of their own. When I address someone with the question of photographing them, I limit our contact to a minimum and isolate my subjects in their thoughts. I want to wonder; wonder what goes on behind the appearance. The urge to experience my own imagination exceeds the need for long-term human contact. Space for imagination is all I ask.

—Simone Peerdemam

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