It is often difficult to reconcile an image with its meaning, without certain cues or context an image may elude the comprehension of the viewer. An image is ordinariliy taken for its ascetic potential. Its artistic nuance. Something of the place must speak to the artist, must compel them to act upon an instinct to capture. However as in the case of this haunting image the artist conceded that the nuance intended and the actual capture were incalculably apart. As a composition, the image arguably works. It symmetry, proportions and focal points are an admirable adherence to the “rules” of photographic or artistic composition. Though it would be almost a year after first selectively revealing this image that a greater reality, and heart shattering cataclysm became known to the artist.
At the Heaven to Heaven exhibition of 2015 a young scholar (Sayyed) arrived and stood at the door. The Photographer, seeing him standing there offered to show him around the exhibition. The young Sayyed graciously accepted and a conversation ensued between the two as they walked through and discussed the images. The photographer noted that the Sayyed was pleased to see the images but seemed, perhaps already acquainted with the iconography and what the images illustrated, and was therefore walking through rather quickly. When suddenly the image above came into view and the young Sayyed painfully froze before it. He looked at it with such sombre intensity that the photographer felt a genuine concern. Was something wrong? Was there some offense to be taken from the image? All these questions and more began to reverberate in the mind of the photographer
At first the tears seemed to trickle. The Sayyed hands covered his face, but the shuddering shoulders did little to mask the convulsing and sobbing tears that usurped his cheeks like an avalanche. The photographer stood motionless, though not by choice, indeed he felt paralysed. Could it be that he had brought disrepute to the very cause he wished to do justice?
Finally, fighting back his own tears, “Sayyed,” the photographer said trembling What do you see? Is everything ok?
“You have no idea do you”, The Sayyed said in disbelief
“You just don’t know what you have captured” he pointed at the image while both trembling and rebuking.
“Sayyed, please tell me” The photographer pleaded. “Please tell me what you see”?
By now the Sayyeds tears had drenched his sleeves, his speech was crackling and he looked upon the image as though nothing else in the world was worthy of his attention, the photographer knew that the young sayyed was present now in body only. For his heart and mind had departed for Karbala, though not in the current time and space. The Sayyed now stood at the embodment of the red calligraphy in the centre of the image. He stood in Karbala, perhaps on the Taleh Zeinabeyah beside the Great Zeinab (as) and witnessed for himself “ALMADBAH AL MUKADAS” “The Holy Sacrifice”, the very spot where the great Imam Hussein (as) took his final earthly breath.
Just as quickly as the young Sayyed had walked in, he left without saying another word except “Asalaamu Alayka Ya Aba Abdullah” “Peace be upon you oh Aba Abdullah”.
The photographer never saw or heard from him again.
