Laurie Gordon
MFA ’22 Photography
I Catch Sight of the Now
I rarely drive down Upland Avenue, but when I do, I slow as I approach the house at number 135. I do not know the people who live there, but I know the apple tree that sits in the small front lawn. My dad and I planted it when I was a girl. Last autumn, when I passed by, I noticed many apples. Some were on the tree, but as I pulled over to look, I saw that most were neglected on the ground. I got out of the car, picked up an apple, and drove away.
Coming of age happens over a lifetime. There is no magical event, only daily life and routines punctuated by milestones we celebrate and mourn. First steps, first job, first kiss. Lost love, missed opportunities, death. Six decades in, and the accumulation of years and memories have gathered weight. I understand experience in layers: how I saw things in the past and how I see them now. The past is not as sharp as it used to be, and that is good. I stay in the present through the cycling seasons–the delight of new apples to pick in the fall, the quiet of the winter snow, and the first blooms of spring. If we see the world once, in childhood, and the rest is memory, then my aim is not to remember, but to see again.
Featured in:
Laurie Gordon is a photographer and educator based in Boston, where she was born and raised. Her images explore life’s transitions and the link between generations. Gordon’s work has been exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography, Panopticon Gallery, and Boston City Hall, among others. She received her B.A. degree in English from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.
