One of the most intimate moments I've ever come across between two people is a personal anecdote the poet Mary Ruefle relates in her book Madness, Rack, and Honey. She describes finding herself in a Belgian taxicab on a Sunday night in 1969, when her driver began exclaiming something in Flemish, a language she did not understand. As the driver pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the car, she recalled that this was about the time the Americans were supposed to land on the moon. When he pointed to the moon, she nodded, and they observed it together in silence for a few moments. Then they drove on.
Although these two strangers did no more than stand beside each other, the intensity of their shared awe is as moving as a joyous public display of affection between an affectionate couple. Our photographer here, Rashed Haq, whose work has been exhibited nationally in over a dozen juried shows in the last two years, talks about being fascinated by these couples' disappearance into a universe of their own. In his series “Love is Everyday,” he is drawn in by their joint aura; sometimes even finding himself able to anticipate their shift into an increasingly private shared mental space.
New Orleans. Photo: Rashed Haq.
Barcelona. Photo: Rashed Haq.
Houston. Photo: Rashed Haq.
Paris. Photo: Rashed Haq.
Paris. Photo: Rashed Haq.
Houston. Photo: Rashed Haq.
New Delhi. Photo: Rashed Haq.
New Orleans. Photo: Rashed Haq.
Moments of PDA (public displays of affection) can be an exploration of a relationship within the safety of a public space in which one has already begun to let one's barriers down. They can also be an expression of shared intensity, inspired by a feeling of transcendence beyond, or even escape from daily life.
To be able to forget, or at least not give a damn, that one is being watched, regardless of how many people are around, one must not feel as if "mother" is watching. Cultural taboos and even the nature of the physical environment, such as glaring lights, can lead to discomfort about expressions of intimacy. In places such as Saudi Arabia, the "morality police" legally fill your mother’s shoes in this respect, and in cultures like that of Pakistan, everyone is your mother.
Haq’s series takes us to Paris, New Orleans, Barcelona, New Delhi — cities known for their romance. What about his own home base, Houston? Although as Raj Mankad observed we have a much lower incidence of PDA here, Haq has captured some remarkable moments in Houston. One image was deemed a bit too intense for publication on this blog. Another shows two lovers at Discovery Green, one wearing a mohawk, their kiss tentative, struggling to prevail over the smiles on their lips. A third person gazes away, her look wistful. An evocative scene.
While we may not yet be able to get increased PDA counts on the mayor's to-do list, Haq’s photographs remind us of the romantic value of public spaces in this city.
Maya Kanwal's fiction and essays can be found in literary journals such as Quarterly West and The Doctor TJ Eckleburg Review. She can be found on twitter @mayakanwal.
Rashed Haq is an American photographer, focusing on people and their environments globally. You can see more of his work at www.rashedhaq.com, and find him on Facebook: fb.com/fotoRH and on twitter @rashedhaq.
