Child’s Play

Emily Wall

photography, 2020

Made possible by a grant from the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts, Art for Uncertain Times project

Capturing these moments proves that they exist…

Quarantine has made us slow down and distance ourselves from society. It has forced us to be with our families, and ourselves, with no escape. As a photography major at BYU the quarantine forced me and my husband to pack up our two children and head to Michigan, to my parents’ home, to weather out the storm. For my two young children very little has changed besides their physical location. They do not feel the heightened anxiety of the outside world. Their days still consist of running around, exploring, and inevitably some tears. For this body of work I explore the theme of home in contrast to the outside world. Our lives have always been home- centered, but now the home is our entire life. I want to cling to these simple moments at home, no matter what the future holds. I want to capture the quiet, fleeting moments that exist despite the devastating pandemic. Our life seems at odds with the pandemic. Capturing these moments proves that they exist, that despite my anxieties, despite COVID-19, they happen. The work focuses on my two young children and their obliviousness to the uncertainty of the future and of the present.—Emily Wall, 2020

Emily Wall

is a proud Michigander who currently lives in Utah with her husband and two sons. She’s a BFA photography student at Brigham Young University. Her husband is an engineering student and they juggle jobs, school, and their young boys. The foundation of her work is her family and her environment. She grew up in a large family and was drawn to photography for its ability to capture stillness within the chaos of every day. Now with children of her own, she uses the camera as a tool to explore interfamily relationships. Her current work delves into the landscape of childhood. Find more of her at emilywallphoto.com or @emilyannwall.