Vom Leben gezeichnet: Menschen, ihre Narben und die Geschichten dahinter
Jedes Fältchen, jeder Altersfleck und jede verblasste Narbe von längst vergessenen Spielplatzraufereien erzählt eine ganz eigene Geschichte. Sie stehen für den Sieg in einem Kampf, die Erholung von einem Unfall oder von einer Krankheit. Die britische Fotografin Sophie Mayanne zeigt uns in ihrem Projekt „behindthescars“ Menschen, welche auf unterschiedliche Art und Weise vom Leben gezeichnet wurden und ihre dadurch entstandenen Narben mit Stolz tragen.
Eine Feier der Schönheit
„Scars“ ist eine Feier der Schönheit, der Fehler, der gewonnen Schlachten und der überwundenen Hindernisse. Es geht um das Überleben und um die Erinnerung.
Frances
„When I was about 8 I had a birthmark removed from my forehead – a popular boy at school was teasing me about it so we went to the doctor. It turned out that it could have been dangerous to keep it, and I quite like the scar that was left.“
Ashleigh
„I’ve struggled with self harm since I was 8. For as long as I can remember, my emotions have been very intense, this was one of the ways I learnt to cope. I have been stuck wearing long sleeves regardless of the weather. The appearance of my arms is one of my biggest secrets. Learning to embrace my scars and accept them as part of me is a major step. I also feel that hiding them away perpetuates the feeling of guilt/shame.“
Matt
„I got my scars a few years ago, when I was about 15/16. They all came from self harm. It was a little bit of a tough time in my life, living in Poland where unfortunately many people are really homophobic – and growing up, going to school as a gay man can be hard.“
Isabella
„In the summer of ’15 I was in a house fire. My clothes and way of life up in flames. I spent my summer in a burns unit on Fulham Road. My scars and scar tissue continue to change, but I have never felt more beautiful.“
Christina
„I have two scars on my left knee – one small one on the outside and a larger one down the front. These are from knee surgery (October 2016). I had osteochondritis dissecans, and had pain in my knee for a few years prior to my surgery. I got officially „diagnosed“ with this when I was 18 and tried to avoid surgery but by the time I got to 23, the pain was so bad that I had to do something and surgery was the only option. I was very worried about having a permanent scar on my leg, so didn’t want surgery. That’s why I wanted to do this project, to feel good about my scar.“
Andrea
„My first scars arrived at 14, whilst playing a chasing game with friends. I jumped over the wall, but the wall moved and I ended up scarring both of my legs. For years I’ve been paranoid about showing them and only wore trousers.
The scars on my left arm and face were given to me by a deranged person out for revenge, the worst part it was not meant for me. I got caught up in a fight where the person had a glass in her hand whilst punching me. I was only aware of it when blood was pouring from my face. I didn’t notice my arm until I looked down to see my arm opened up like a butterfly chicken.
I now love me for me, ever since I started Focusing On Creating my Ultimate Self.“
Luca
“This scar on my hand is the result of trying to climb over a fence late at night as it was a huge shortcut, as it was late no one saw the barbed wire sticking out, and when I fell it cut my hand open.”
Dorisilla
“Breast – Benign fibroadenoma, Stomach – Myomectomy & keloids removed. Forehead -Domestic Violence.”
Ronnie
“When I was six months old I had an operation on my stomach to move everything upwards about 3 inches as I had a gap in my oesophagus.
Other scars I have are from feeding tubes, the one that stands out is from a feeding tube which I had pulled out myself, which is why it has healed like it has.”
Miriam
„When I was 9 I fell off a swing on holiday and broke my arm quite badly. Being in hospital on holiday was a pain, but I made friends with the other kids on my ward and we remained pen pals for sometime after. My scar doesn’t bother me at all, I forget it is there until someone else brings it up.“
Beckie
“ I didn’t feel like my body represented me, so I saved for 3 years to get a breast reduction when I was 18”.
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Bidquelle: Website Sophie Mayanne