The Story Behind the Picture: "In a Dream" by Gabriel Isak

Photography has the potential to replace words and descriptions, clearly conveying the main point or idea in one moment. In the modern world, the conceptual photography genre is gaining more and more popularity. Conceptual photography is an original genre in photography, where the main role is played by the general idea and concept that the photographer expresses through photographic means. Thanks to conceptual photography, it becomes possible to express the inner world, experiences, states, thoughts, and ideas that are formed within the photographer. The purpose of concept photography is to convey a message to the public. In this format, the idea is the most important factor that determines how images, gestures, and signs will be combined in the photo. Conceptual photography explores itself in the form of interaction with the viewer. Very often conceptual photography works in dialogue with the history of art and photography. In this case, the object of art plays the role of reflection, as it allows everyone to interact with it at their own level. It is important to note that conceptual photography can be anything from landscape to portrait photography by genre.

A work titled “In a Dream” by Swedish photographer Gabriel Isak was selected for this conceptual photography assignment. The author Gabriel traveled a lot around the world, creating vivid conceptual shots, each of which has a special story. “In a Dream” creates a melancholy special world full of metaphors and comparisons. In Isak's work, one needs to go through the worlds of the unconscious in order to understand the deep intention of the author. The image in this photograph is characterized by a single figure set against an intricate landscape. The long staircase in the photo characterizes the descent into the unknown, where each viewer will decide for himself what exactly is at the bottom of the stairs. Thus, radiated by serenity and despair, the close silhouette becomes the embodiment of the viewer's own emotional thoughts. It is the silhouette in the foreground that creates the opportunity to identify with the main character in the photo for everyone who looks at the photo, which allows one to feel personal fears and the possibility of overcoming them. This is where all the power put by the author of the picture lies. Looking at photography as a spectator, I see the unconditional depth of human doubt about what lies ahead. The future has no specifics, only the smoothly outlined white handrails of the staircase that create a vector of direction, but what exactly awaits on the way is unknown. This shot answers internal questions about personal fears while making it possible to realize that all of them do not really matter. Everyone provides the power to fears himself, precisely by fearing the darkness of the future, but looking at this photo, I was able to look at the path of life from the other side. The darkness here does not bring melancholy, because the bright white flights of the stairs show the purity of the path if an individual approach of the person is sincere. That is why this photo was chosen by me for this assignment.

The Story

It has been a long, long journey. The girl was breathing unevenly, as after a long run. However, the difficulty in breathing was not the result of physical effects on the body, but rather reflected internal excitement. The girl did not know what was hidden in the darkness at the bottom of the endless flights of stairs, and the expectation of what would soon be revealed to her frightened her imagination. It's never possible to be prepared for the unknown.

She had found her way to this staircase with white railings long ago. For three weeks now, day after day, damned dark flights beckoned to her like a magnet. Every day the girl came to this abandoned house, peered for hours into the darkness of the stairwells going down, and was afraid to take the first step. She tossed coins into the darkness but never heard the melodic clink of their landing. She sang songs in her melodious voice, but she never heard the echo. She screamed in the hope that someone below would hear her and come out onto the flight of stairs, but these attempts were unsuccessful. Every day the girl left without making a step-down. Every day she came back and stared into the darkness for several hours.

Everything had to change today. On this occasion, the young woman even dressed up, taking out her favorite dress from the closet. She decided that today would be the day when she would take the most important step and step into the darkness of the mysterious flights of stairs. However, her knees were shaking and her palms were sweating. This time she did not peer into the darkness, but, barely sliding her hand along the white railing, stepped onto the first step. She ran three steps later. The girl rushed down, risking falling at any second. In a few minutes, she reached the very last step. There was a door in front of her. After hesitating for a few moments, her hand dropped to the brass doorknob and turned it.

She stepped out into the light and looked around. Behind her were the doors through which she entered the building every day. And in front of her was a staircase with a white railing, the end of which was sinking in darkness. After going all this long and terrible way, the girl was at the starting point. It was indeed a very long journey, and for the girl, it was just beginning.