I photographed these chairs while attending the wedding of good friends in Garrison, NY this past summer, and was struck by the emptiness and solitude of these chairs, while just one hundred feet away, dozens of their family and friends gathered to celebrate such a wonderful and festive occasion. Perhaps it was the contrast of the empty chairs adjacent to the bustling festivities that got me thinking about the significance of photographing empty chairs, and why I am typically drawn to such images.
I am clearly not the first, nor will I be the last, to capture such an image on film and raise the topic of what an empty chair symbolizes. Does it remind us of those who should be present but who are not? Do we assign personalities to different chairs? If so, do the owners or occupiers of those chairs reflect, enhance or contradict the "personalities" of the chairs they choose? I tend to think about those who have possibly occupied the seat in the past - what they saw, what they may have done while utilizing the chairs, how they may have relaxed or have been comforted by their respites, etc. So much of our time is spent in chairs- especially for many of us whose jobs require working at a desk. What do your chairs say about you? How do they comfort you? How could you make changes in your life just by changing or perhaps rearranging your empty chairs?
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