Candle, Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award

Candle is a meditation on the ephemeral nature of life: the passage of time and the sense of loss experienced due to its’ passing. With each year in age represented by another candle on the cake, the birthday candle is a poignant indicator of the fleeting nature of time. In Christian traditions, the light emitted by candles is seen as a symbol of spiritual goodness as well as a reminder that lives burn out and a warning that we must seek redemption in the afterlife. Buddhists consider the burning candle as a sign of enlightenment, while the modern candlelight vigil is seen as a rite of hope. Vanitas still lifes of all periods include slowly burning, guttering or extinguished candles in their repertoire of emphatic warnings about death and the transience of earthly existence. The sugar coated cupcake and scattered candy in Candle reference Flemish, Dutch and German desert and confectionary still life paintings of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century. Candied sugar appeared in these sumptuous banquet scenes as a symbol of luxury and spiritual sweetness. In subsequent years there was however a change in attitude when it was discovered that sugar is addictive. Recently the aging effects of high sugar consumption have gained media attention, highlighting the irony that life’s celebrations often center on sugary treats that subsequently hasten its passing. Photography is the perfect medium through which to investigate time. Still photographs not only stop time but also contain a realisation of loss in the fundamental sense that every photograph represents a past moment that is no longer.