Flight

Juror's Statement

When was the last time you had a flying dream?

Flying dreams are connected to lucid dreaming. It is not clear how or why lucid dreams occur, but the phenomenon is fascinating because it incorporates self-awareness and control, which are elements of wakefulness, into dreaming. (When I was around 12, I began having intensely realistic flying dreams – I swear I was flying! I could escape the bad guys by jumping off the rooftop and projecting myself into the troposphere!) Children have lucid dreams more frequently than adults do, which suggests that lucid dreaming might be a natural phenomena occurring in a developing brain. I miss this experience as an adult.

Within the work submitted to this exhibition, I first looked for images that prompted an immediate visceral feeling of flying – photographs that creatively expressed the joy of flight. Jurying these images was a treat in that the subject of ‘flying’ was the constant, so I was enjoyably submerged in this ethereal topic – so, thank you to those who submitted work! The consideration of the craft, concept, and execution of the photograph was simultaneous criteria for image selection. Each single image had to be strong enough to stand on it’s own, aside from thematic elements, and exemplify something of the artist’s voice. Lastly, consideration of how the images would work together when hung as a group in a gallery space was a factor – a variety of visual genre was important.

Details in some of the imagery stick with me – the glint of light through a dragonfly’s wings exposing the cellular structure that enables flight, carnival ride wind blowing the blond curls of a child away from her head, a hot air balloon sandwiched between a full moon and a desert landscape, a yellow scarf floating through the stratosphere. A hawk soars above the famed Ranchos de Taos church; Vaux swifts swoop in formation, darkening the sky. Children gather on the lawn at dusk, jumping and turning in the air, capturing the feeling of flight for just three seconds.

- Laura Moya

About the Juror

Laura Moya is director of Photolucida, in Portland, Oregon. She organizes Photolucida’s biennial Portfolio Reviews event and project manages Photolucida’s Critical Mass book award publications. She has juried for Critical Mass, Blue Sky Gallery’s Northwest Drawers, Newspace Center for Photography, United Photo Industries/The Fence and PhotoPlace Gallery, and has written pieces for Finite Foto, Griffin Museum’s Critic’s Pick, and Photo-eye’s blog. She has curated exhibits at 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, at the Lishui International Photo Festival in China, and the Xiang Sha Wan Photo Festival in Inner Mongolia. Laura co-curated an independent project, The Early Works Project, which was shown at Newspace Center for Photography, Rayko Photo Center, and the Center for Fine Art Photography. She is currently co-curating The Elevated Selfie: Beyond the Bathroom Mirror, to be exhibited at LightBox Photographic Gallery and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

Learn more about Laura - visit this Lenscratch "Mixtape" for additional inspiration.

Call for Entries

It’s oddly human to yearn to fly—to feel the joy of loosening earthly bonds, if only for a moment. We are fascinated by the flight of birds and insects, superheroes, fantasy creatures, and experience flight as best we can with hang gliders, batwings, airplanes, rockets, and balloons. For this call for submissions, we seek images that express the joy of flight.

All things that fly or yearn to do so are welcome, as are all methods of capture and process.