Lighting the dark
On November 13, 2015, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks swept across Paris, leaving 129 people dead and hundreds injured. The attacks targeted people simply living their lives, at a concert, a football match, and in cafés across the city. It was the deadliest attack in France since World War II, leaving the country and the world in shock.
In the quiet heaviness that followed, I found myself at my kitchen table. On it were a white taper candle and some leftover poster paper from a project I’d abandoned. Then it struck me to combine them into an Eiffel Tower. After folding, lighting, and photographing it, I cried. Which sounds strange to say about your own work, but something about the image felt bigger than me.
After I shared it on Instagram, CNN commented asking if they could use it. A short email exchange later and it was on their social channels. That moment became my first piece of editorial art and sparked a lasting interest in creating timely, responsive work that captures a moment or adds commentary.
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Around that same time, I’d also uploaded a printable template so others could make their own.
Someone messaged me a photo of three Eiffel Tower candles glowing in the middle of a candlelight vigil in Paris, thanking me for sharing my work. To see them there, on the other side of the world, was so moving.
It’s easy to feel powerless when horrors happen, but that moment reminded me that small acts still matter. Creativity can be a way to grieve and to connect in solidarity. Ten years later, as I think about the darkness in the world, I still hold on to that. Even when we don’t know what to do, we can still create, share, and light what we can. 🕯️
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