INVITATION & NOMINATION

The journey begins with a nomination and invitation to extraordinary elder women. We have an incredible list of visionary women who have had a deep impact on us personally and in the collective community who we are slowly courting for this project . And of course there are so many exquisite women we don’t yet know, which is where the nomination process comes in. Anyone may nominate a woman over seventy who has made a potent, beautiful mark on the world, either by using our nomination page or by sending an email or a voice note to andreas@inthehandsofbeauty.com.

THE PORTRAITS

These are large format portraits working with an analog 8x10 view camera, paired with vintage lenses. Think Ansel Adams with big bellows going under the dark cloth to compose the picture. This is a slow and mindful medium - we’ll have only up to 8 exposures to work with per person. We may work with either one or (most often) both of these following scenarios, or perhaps something completely unique:

Contextual Portrait: We hope to wrap each woman in a visual tapestry reflecting her creative passions and spiritual calling - the way(s) in which she approaches the work of loving and sustaining this world.  Perhaps she is a painter in the studio with a bespeckled apron and brushes. Perhaps she is a weaver with fingers in the loom, or a plant whisperer in the garden, or a writer at her desk, or a contemplative in the forest. Perhaps at this point her world is her bed and bedside table. This is a co-creative process of curiosity, intention, and listening which allows a unique image to emerge.

Essence Portrait: This is a close-up image expressing this woman’s wild, beautiful, and potent brilliance. Over the decades of her lifetime she has had remarkable experiences, relationships, loves and losses. She has cultivated her inner garden, shed the things that no longer serve her, and is now more radiant than ever in this later chapter in life. The mirror is polished and there is a clarity and deep wisdom that comes through in all aspects of who this woman is : in her gaze, in the way she exists in her physical body, in her connections with the many beings - seen and unseen - that travel beside her. There is a nobility and dignity to her beauty. This image is an invitation for that essential nature that has been present since  birth to be expressed.

DOCUMENTING

In addition to the analog portraits, and depending on how it feels in the moment and what each woman is comfortable with, we may unobtrusively include a video camera and/or audio recorder in the space. This cinematography is to help us spread the word about this project and to share little updates with the people that are excited about it in our monthly newsletters. The audio may also be used as part of the gallery exhibition (see below). SÆDLEAP will not be on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Instead we’ll be cultivating community through newsletters and events. Andreas may use the social media accounts of his studio, In the Hands of Beauty, to share micro updates and promote in person events like gallery openings. The best way to stay current with all the unfolding beauty is to subscribe to our newsletter!

EXPRESSING 

There are four predominant expressions in this body of work.

The first is an online website gallery celebrating all of these incredible women, each adding their own unique seeds to the basket of this project and out into the world. Every portrait we create will live here in this gallery.

The second is a series of live gallery exhibitions with large photogravure or carbon pigment black and white prints. Each image will be paired with an audio recording, allowing the viewer to more deeply take in the wisdom of each woman. This is still taking shape: we envision regional as well as national and international exhibitions, and don’t yet know who will be featured in each.

The third expression centers around community and celebration ~ coming together, sharing food, and celebrating all these magnificent elder women. These celebrations may well be in collaboration with  gallery openings and other events.

The fourth is a carefully curated and exquisitely produced large book of black and white portraits. The portraits will be paired with a short offering of words from each woman. This could be a quote from the conversation we have together, a paragraph or a poem they have written, or the like. It is a space for a bit of their wisdom and unique perspective to be expressed alongside their portrait(s). The number of images and women represented in this book is yet to be determined.