I’ve been studying the relationship of people with water since 2009, and my newest iteration titled “Surface Tension” is just as much about the materiality of water as it is about the inner landscape of the human mind. When the outer plane of water is punctured, a new world appears; Figures turn into landscapes, limbs into fins, and bodies morph and merge into peculiar yet familiar organic shapes. A ceremonial splash is followed by a momentary lapse of consciousness, and then new galaxies are born with every drawn breath. What are we but a series of star-crossed enigmas; A deck of cards in the wind, twisted by fate and held together, loosely, by a glue that has no name.

Reflections: Mother and Child, from Surface Tension series

“I’m a strong believer in the change that I wish to see. So just because I don’t see diversity in my town, it doesn’t mean that I can’t attract that just by holding space in my own community. So by being present, and being active I aim to allow other people of color who move here or who live here to feel a part of this community, feel welcome, and feel supported. I do have concerns about Quest being the only black girl in the classroom, but again she will understand where she comes from, she will understand what makes her different and that’s a beautiful thing, she’ll be proud of that and she will help this next generation of people understand what diversity looks like, what queer families look like and that’s a beautiful thing and that’s the change that we wish to see.” These words were spoken by Ashley Brown, who is Christin’s spouse pictured floating in the water with baby Quest. This caption, to me, is a brilliant window into the subject’s determination to spread compassion and love in her community regardless of the unique circumstances. My reflection on her words and this photograph is that children are one of the truest, purest reminders that we are all primal beings. We all belong to one human race. We all hold a beating heart within our fragile bodies and, we all come from mothers who nourish us with their whole self. I hope this picture serves as an undisputed reminder of our unity and oneness and that baby Quest, with her oblivious sense of bliss and peace, teaches us in the simplest yet most fundamental way that LOVE is LOVE is LOVE.