Stroller Rides

Young children lack an ego, or scientifically put: their default mode network in their brains is not developed yet. The lack of development in that part of the brain leads to children perceiving the world, as the developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik states, much like adults “tripping” on psychedelics. Having your field of vision consumed by a kelp forest is as logical as an arid landscape almost void of visual markers.

Being aware of that state of perception in my two-year-old son and the fact that I was rolling him through fantastic, natural environments rich with visual, dramatic elements led to this series of photographic works titled Stroller Rides. 

Memories from ages below five are rarely carried into adulthood and I was concerned that my son would forget about our stroller rides and the way these scenarios were teaching him to think abstractly. In response to that realization, I mounted a camera right above his head on our stroller and started documenting our adventures from his perspective. The idea being to create photographic images that he will be able to use as a reference, as a guide, and hopefully to have a strong visceral experience that connects him to his early childhood throughout his life.