The Story of Starting

by Zoie E Holzknecht

“Light Echoes is a contemplative photography project in which I take photos in my community and collage them digitally to create new meaning and understanding of where I have been. A light echo can occur when starlight reflects off interstellar material and becomes visible on Earth at different times. Astronomers “collage” snapshots of the sky over time to get more complete information. In a similar way, the final images I create are light echoes of my own past. They are made up of things that were illuminating to me in that particular moment, most often concrete, rusted metal, and disused equipment. Objects and scenes that countless others pass by every day. Light Echoes is also a model for a contemplative art practice that can be done by anyone, either visually or audibly, without the need for special tools or training. These selected works from Light Echoes speak to the heat and the solitude found during the intense southern Arizona summers.”