Sonatas XII
Pieces of the Present Abide - The Life of the Place
Movements
Words by Khaetidawne and Brendan Quirk
We present here a Song of the Life of Our Place, in seven movements.
The Pieces and Places of our Present - and soon past memories -
The visions of home and the glorious small towns that surround us
Twenty years in the making - this is Our Place
We look now to our future; a new house, and a new Place we’ll embrace.
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| Sonatas XII - Main Street | Sonatas XII - Homes |
| The obvious choice for where to begin is, of course, with a stroll down Main Street(s). This is not intended to be a directory or travel guide, but rather just a sampling, in order to get a feeling, of the heart(s) of The Place we will explore. | I just love seeing the houses in which people live. To me, the essence of The Place, is where The People live. What more could represent this best other than the homes in which they live. |
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| Sonatas XII - Life | Sonatas XII - Industry |
| These photographs are perhaps somewhat evocative of life in our Place. Schools, yards, museums, streets, whatever happens to capture the eye and the heart of the viewer and the inhabitant. Not all subjects are grand, but each scene has the potential to draw you in. | We will just barely touch on industry; mainly dealing with how the actual physical presence of the facilities contributes to the feel and ambiance of The Place. |
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| Sonatas XII - Faith | Sonatas XII - Farms |
| Churches are plentiful and often quite attractive in our Place. As they call out for an exhaustive study of their own, I have only included a few views as a bit of a sampler. | A few pieces from, on, or around some of the farms in the area. Not being a documentary of the state of agriculture in the county, this is just a small selection of scenes that touched my eye. |
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| Sonatas XII - Scenery | |
| Finally, some nice scenery not included elsewhere. A pleasant end to a marathon run! Thanks for viewing to the end, if you have been with us since the beginning. |
The Place
The Place is persistent. Our place in it is
transient. Thanks to The Place for giving us a home, shelter, living,
for however long we are blessed to occupy it, before moving on to our
next Place. This Place has nurtured many; those who first inhabited this
Place are but a fading memory to most of us. As the occupants of this
Place move through, they modify and alter the Place. The Place in turn
modifies those who come after. These influences may then perhaps come to
bear on our next Place. The Place, however, abides, and receives the
next inhabitants. We should be, and are, grateful to the Place for
tolerating and housing us while we are here.
Take The Place as we find it. The homes, farms,
and businesses. They were there before us, will be there when we leave.
No doubt, with a few additions of our own! There are no profound
insights in the features we find in this Place; all happiness to those
who can find such enlightenment. But we enjoy the feeling of comfort,
belonging, and, shall we dare say, “quaint” charm of this Place. Not
intended to be charming – just home, comfortable, and practical. In this
we find comfort and belonging.
Places as these exist everywhere; this Place is
not unique. Nor are the specific features here necessary for a “Sense of
Place”. Wherever you are, look about, really see, and appreciate your
Place. It will be your Place if you will let it. Even more “modern”
spaces can become these Places, given time, attention, immersion, and
conscious seeing. Do not let yourself become, or remain, alienated from
your Place. The Place abides, can welcome you in, and at last send you
on to your next Place.
The Collection
This is not intended to be a survey of the area,
or Dodge County in particular. Rather, it contains scenes that the
author found personally to be attractive in some manner. It is at heart
a personal response to the human and natural environment, or rather the
“Sense of Place” as subjectively viewed. Views may be included because
they were grand, or they were small and attractive. They may just be
special in some little way, or “quirky” as it were. The photographers
eye controls the reality of a photograph, if by nothing else, by the
action of making choices. These choices do not imply any ranking of
importance, truthfulness, or artistry. Rather, just come along and see
what has caught my eye!
In some ways, this collection actually excludes
some of the more noticeable local photogenic choices. This would be due
to the desire to explore the less apparent aspects of the Place, after
years of seeing and documenting the obvious. This is not a tourist
guide! Most of these photographs are not previously published, and in
general represent more recent work.
The Place I share with you is limited; a small
portion of Dodge County finds its way into this work. There is plenty
outside of these narrow boundaries as worthy – indeed similar Places can
be found throughout the American Midwest. The familiarity of the close
was more of concern than the breadth of more comprehensive coverage.
Cities/villages/towns here touched on are Mayville, Williamston, Leroy,
Ashippun and Old Ashippun, Neosho, Herman, Theresa, Lomira, Iron Ridge,
Woodland, Kekoskee, and Horicon.
These photos lack any direct representations of
people. As such, this is to emphasize the Place, not the people. The
inhabitants are implied, mostly here by buildings, but also by their
possessions and artifacts. The Place is quietly waiting for the
appearance of the inhabitants, whoever and whenever they may be. I liken
it to a completed stage set, before the players come out to bring it to
life.
What Right Do We Have to a Place