“A faint clap of thunder, clouded skies, perhaps rain will come, if so, will you stay here with me?” (Yukari Yukino, The Garden of Words)

An ode to Lily

"When we listen closely to a story of the past of a memory of another, we create a narrative on our head, and although those memories are not ours, our brain itself, will create a form of images, a form of fragments of movements stitched together forming a narrative as though we have witnessed those memories as something we’ve lived through.

With the sublime used of soft light and shade, tracing the fleeting shadow of the past, and marked with rich colours and tenderness, this series explores the metaphysical wonder of the life of Lola Fel (Grandma Fel) and Lily, and their tango with religion and culture, falling in love despite their belief that what they represent and are doing is sinful, when in the end it is just nothing but pure love.

Showing fragments of their relationship told to me through stories by Lola Fel, and recreating them through my own perspective, for I know that I will never be there, so in a way those images where create through the storytelling of Lola Fel and piece by piece I have moulded those words spoken into images which late became this series.

The sense of loneliness, the sense of longing, a time to stand still, and stay that way forever.

as Fel waited and waited for the rain, just so she can see the world they created where no prejudice, no religion, no oppression was stopping them, the rain became a metaphor, as the symbol of purity, the symbol of protection of their love. With her getting older, being forgetful became more apparent, and our engagement with each other, started going in a different direction, with her once tightly shut lips, secret by secret became more unravelled.

To me the rain, not only became a metaphor for healing their sins of their belief of their blasphemous relationship, the rain is a way to repent, a reminder even if they were happy together, their belief would never allow them to fully be happy, and in a way, there is still loneliness, there is still longing. The rain also represent protection, with two beliefs clashing together, the belief taught by religion, and the belief taught by each other between them of their love.

If Lily was still alive today, I would say, Lily, thank you, for loving her."