monochrome | 16th feb 22
the hush episode four talks about colour
There was a line last week that upon rereading stuck out to me as an inconsistency. When I was talking about the possibility of this potentially ending any time, I used the phrase ‘all of the colour could fade at any moment’. It was dressed in such negativity I wanted to revisit it and call myself out on my bullshit. Over the weekend I watched ‘The Tragedy Of Macbeth’ shot beautifully in black & white and it made me realise there is beauty beyond the colour. Not all days do we rise as rainbows, bursting at the seams with colour. Some days are dimmer with less shimmer. I have seen enough beautiful nights to know not all darkness has sharp edges.
The movie did not pull the Wizard of Oz trick and suddenly explode into bright hues, it stuck to its colours from beginning to end. There is a lesson within that itself but for another time, maybe. It was phenomenal to witness the power of shadow. How different shades stand out and steal the spotlight. In short, when our peacock feathers fade and we are left monochrome, it doesn’t mean we aren’t magnificent. Even our darkest selves dare to contain magic. Darkness also inspires darkness to shine brighter. And if the dark can see the beauty in light then we can see the beauty in dark.
Odd realization...I love black and white photography, but hate black and white films. Weird.