Exegesis;

“Silent Remnants” is a photo essay that explores absence, memory, and the weight of what remains. The concept emerges from a deeply personal place, using the metaphor of an empty city to mirror my own mind. It is a reflection on how memories can fade and fragment over time, just like a once-thriving city can become eerily still. I wanted to convey the feeling of walking through a place that was once full of life, but now only holds traces of what used to be, mirroring how our minds hold onto fragments of the past while the rest slips away.

Visual:

I took photographs as I walked alone through the city on a cloudy day, from noon to midnight, documenting the city's remnants. Empty streets and quiet cities became a metaphor for memory and the way we experience the passage of time. Just as a city can feel haunted by its past, so too can our minds. I then colour-graded the photos using Lightroom and followed a minimalist style, which encouraged me to isolate colours. By lowering the background’s brightness and saturation while lifting up the subject’s colours, I achieved a unified look for all the photos taken. As a result, the chiaroscuro effect gives the photos an oppressive look.

Narration:

One of the challenges in the writing process was finding the balance between showing and telling. I wanted the piece to be poetic, but also direct in its depiction of how my memories have shifted over time. Early drafts of the narration included longer, more abstract language that I eventually simplified to focus on shorter sentences and more direct language. This allowed me to better communicate the emotional depth while maintaining clarity. By using simple yet powerful metaphors, such as memories “fading like stars at sunrise”, which emphasise on how the past slips away just as naturally as night turns to day, I find a way to express my true emotions within the text. The final phase of the writing involved refining the structure and tone. I wanted to leave the listener with a sense of positivity and a “quiet strength”, suggesting that even in the silence of remnants, there is meaning. While the past may be scattered and fragmented, what remains are enough. This realisation became the concluding message of the piece, offering a note of acceptance amidst the sense of loss.

Music/Sound:

To further elevate the mood, I wrote an emotional score using Garageband. The piece has a minor tone and contains a circular contour. It creates the feeling of one experiencing an ongoing inner struggle. I also recorded city noise for environmental sound, aiming to create an immersive viewing experience.

In conclusion, the creation of “Silent Remnants” is a journey of exploring how my mental state and memories could be metaphorically represented through the images of an empty city.