I know this doesn't seem at first glance like an enclosed space, and physically it isn't at all.
But in the giant empty space of the huge registry hall of Ellis Island, I felt the residue of the press of all those bodies, all hoping, all desperate to get into America, and off of Ellis Island. I could feel my ancestors presence too, which is why I'm smiling. And yes that is my handsome husband Marc next to me. Dear Son #2 took this photo.
Wow, Julie! that is very very cool. and truly, i'd say that in its time, ellis island might have felt a bit like an enclosed space to the m any many people coming there. hopefully it was an enclosed space that they then felt open to new possibilites as they left.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a very cool take on the theme, Julie. And you look beautiful in this photo.
ReplyDeleteRemarkable idea! I am sitting here thinking about the lines of people crammed in there, the probable overwhelming heat, hopes dashed and hopes fulfilled. Enclosed space, indeed. You really came up with a winner here.
ReplyDeleteJust reading this I got the sensation. Powerful.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly how I felt on Ellis Island when I visited. It is a place unto itself.
ReplyDeleteoh, I would love to experience Ellis Island! Thanks for sharing ;)
ReplyDeleteI guess it does not matter how huge a place is when all you can think about is to get away from there.
ReplyDeleteGives food for thought, this one.
Very thought-provoking... thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt's been so fun to keep coming back to your blog recently and finding photos that make me shout "Hey! That's *insert assorted location*!" How fun to recognize both the people and the place and how odd it feels too, to recognize both and see them together.
ReplyDeleteGee, I hope that whole thing made some sort of weird sense to you. Consider the person doing the commenting.
P.S. I was surprisingly moved by Ellis Island too. More so then Ground Zero actually, but then that might be because I had to quickly "shut myself down" there before it got to be too much. It didn't occur to me until we were there that my family can trace themselves back through Ellis Island. In fact I found my grandfather's name.
ReplyDeleteP.P.S. Gee, can't shut me up today. I've been thinking, now that I've been there, to reread Nevada Barr's book Liberty Standing. She is the queen of descriptive prose. I want to see how close to how it really is I imagined it when I had originally read the book.
ReplyDelete