like icarus, i collide

When I was a young boy, I had convinced myself that, if I belly-flopped to the ground, I would not land, but could fly. I could never attain much height but was capable of gliding along the ground, giving my too-young-to-be-weary legs a rest. I had vague memories of actually performing this manoeuvre, but was unable to do it on command (or even really do it at all, for that matter).

I’m old enough to know better now, but I still allow myself the pleasure of those memories. Denis Darzacq’s La Chute (The Fall) brought me right back to those fond dreams.

Darzacq’s no-trick photography is a reminder of the alienation of youth, straddling the border in my mind of the childish gliding of my dreams and the sense of utter freefall I felt as a teenager. Many thanks to be.jazz for the story.