Where Children Sleep: A Photographic Essay

A dear friend recently sent me a link to a fascinating article entitled Photographer reveals kids’ kingdoms: Their bedrooms in which the author reviews a book about a photographer’s quest to find the true essence of a child’s identity through where children sleep.

James Mollison spent three years traveling the world, meeting children as infinitely diverse as one can image and photographing their ‘personal kingdoms’ along side their portraits. Where Children Sleep is the amazing collection of his work.

I have traveled enough to know that I am lucky to have been born in America and to a family who had means to support me and my siblings. As an American, I know my basic necessities will be met. Children can always go to school, even get a free meal. Cheap housing will be outfitted with electricity, running water. Programs and resources abound are available to help make ends meet. Basic health care is not denied. But that cannot be said for all children. The statement I kept repeating after my 2005 trip to Brazil pretty much sums up my sentiments: I never want to be this poor, but if I had to, I’d only want to be poor in the United States.

‘Where Children Sleep’ is an agonizing portrayal of children from diverse backgrounds, where they rest their heads at night and of how the things that make us different are not as great as the things that connect us. The photography is striking. Heart wrenching even. I especially love the portraits. Here is The New York Times Lens Blog article on ‘Where Children Sleep’.

I love how James Mollison set out to capture the identity of children through their own space, their own kingdoms. I can sit for hours looking at the most elaborate, personal bedrooms to the most inhumane and ponder on how that space captures the life of that particular child.

Reviews of the book states that each photographic story is also accompanied with an extensive description of the child’s life. The captions are written simply so that children ranging in ages from 9 to 13 can engage in the details of how children around the world live. What a phenomenal way to visually teach a child that this world is composed of many splendid and beautiful children, some of whom endure the world’s biggest injustices. I bought my copy of ‘Where Children Sleep’ through Amazon for less than $20. Money that will no doubt be put to good use in many lessons of acceptance, empathy and gratitude.

I may have only told one of very best friends this in the past, but it has always been a dream of mine to write a photographic children’s book highlighting the beauties of children from around the world. How they dance, what they eat, the way they show affection. Shortly after I started this blog, that dream morphed into a photographic vision of the intense devotion of love to a child, from their mother. I believe words alone are never as strong as those accompanied by an expressive image, and would love to create a piece in which my words and visual depictions of them were housed in one read.

Who knows. Maybe one day.