MARGOT WALLARD

Afterimage by Margot Wallard:

I have an image that’s been on mind for many years. And I’m so fascinated by this image that I have it on the wall in my house. (I rarely put pictures on the wall). 

It’s an archive family picture, a portrait of my grandparents when they were young in Algeria.

Archive pictures are attractive for obvious reasons, which is why I’m often wary of them. But this one is like an obsession for me. When I first saw it years ago, I was blown away and I still am whenever I look at it. 

This is because it’s my grandparents from a time I never knew. 

Because they seem foreign and yet so familiar to me.

Because it’s about the passage of time.

Because it’s about them as a couple as I’ve never known them. 

Because it’s about them. How they pose in front of the camera.

Because it’s not only an old picture, it’s a magic picture. A magic moment.