The news this week has been dire in terms of wanton murder of children and teachers in Pakistan and hearing of the eight children found stabbed to death in Queensland. These two incidents seem to have wrapped up what has been a tumultuous year for man’s inhumanity to man, and in the 100th anniversary of WW1. Will we ever learn?

This week is never a good week memory wise for me with more anniversaries of passings being highlighted by the dreadful acts that have occurred. The old man went in 1989 and Smithy in 2008. 17th and 18th respectively.

I saw and made this image yesterday. Their memories were in my consciousness  but not necessarily at the forefront of my mind.

The stacked mossy covered tombstones are almost invisible to the many people passing by between two Grade 1 listed buildings of very different eras. Tucked away in the lee of the soft red brick wall, they are almost forgotten. Triggers, such as the Peshawar massacre pull those forgotten souls back into focus. I wonder whether the residents  in the apartments ever realise that there is a re-filed resting place just the other side of their boundary wall? How long before these headstones become hardcore for some other building project?

Much is writ about photography and memory and indeed the false recall of memory. Without doubt, art of any kind can trigger responses and memory recall. The deliberate act of framing, isolating if you wish, a portion of our daily vistas is enough to hit the pause button in some people’s minds.