Within Sight, Out of Reach is an exploration of the delicate nature of childhood memories and the sense of loss that comes with growing older. This body of work reflects my own experiences of moving on and leaving behind the feelings that once defined a version of myself that I can no longer fully picture.
The concept for this project came from the recent loss of a close childhood friend. While this work isn’t about the loss, their passing brought the harsh realization that I can never return to the life I knew as a child. It made me deeply aware of how much I long for the simplicity, innocence, and wonder of childhood – a time that now feels overwhelmingly distant.
The project uses archival images from my childhood, each altered in various ways to explore different aspects of memory and disconnection. These alterations are intended to represent the emotional and psychological distance between my adult self and the child I once was. The resulting images reflect my struggle to reconnect with the feelings of those moments, capturing how memory can become distorted and difficult to access over time.
The images are displayed in a retro View-Master, inviting the viewer to engage with them in a way that mirrors the act of looking back at the past. By presenting the work in this format, I create a unique experience where viewers can reflect on their own lost childhoods, experiencing the tension between nostalgia and the distance we feel when trying to reconnect with what is now out of reach.
Ultimately, Within Sight, Out of Reach is about the tension between memory and time. This project explores the collective experience of growing up and being haunted by what we can never fully reclaim. It is a reflection of the emotional distance that grows with age and the constant longing to reconnect with the moments that once defined us.
