Adam and Eve

Since the birth of time and humanity alike, the innate hunger to venture and voyage to the ends of the earth is intertwined in the core of our existence. A sensual yearning, an instinctive passion for the pleasures that this world has to offer. Yet, societal strains and work commitments demand we defy this evolutionary craving; separating us from our home lives and our loved ones for weeks and months at a time. Such was the case for photographer Paula and her partner Conrad, pulled apart to opposite plains of this planet we perch upon.

Then everything changed.

As the merciless might of the virus became undeniable, overnight, the world as we’d known it came to an end.

Paula and Conrad - both avid travellers, allies in their independence - were now locked away; constrained to the confines of their bijou flat. But against all odds, instead of waging wars and squabbles for space, their love grew stronger, blossoming in the bloom of Spring. ‘Not just the love for one another, but the love for other living things and the Earth itself'.

This pause - a moment to think and reflect that so many feared and fretted - befell like a blessing. The gift of time wrapped in petals and ivy ribbon, allowed the couple to endeavour to places they’d never been to, so close to their Margate home. As May dawned near, the pair embarked on another of their daily walks, visiting the oceanic drift of ephemeral bluebells, chiming in the wind. As the birds meandered above the meadow beneath, serenading their mating songs, the sun sieved through the breaks in the tall branches, casting shadows on Conrad’s face. ‘My winsome muse in the bucolic scenery’ Paula whispers, as Conrad crunches into an apple; intruding on the birds’ joyful melody. His lips now glossed by the sweet dew of the forbidden fruit. ‘All of sudden, we were Adam and Eve, the original couple, full of life, lust and love’. As eyes closed and the camera lens eclipsed, only a forgotten trace of the pair laid imprinted in the forest bedding.

‘Who were we if not the same humans that once roamed that forest, half-naked, seeking shelter and food? Who are we if not the descendants of the first woman and man to spot the geometrical perfection and divine beauty of the humble bluebell, appreciating it beyond any practical use? Who are we if not the pupils of an Earth teacher who keeps reminding us of our inner connectedness to it all?'.