We see things differently as a child; naivete encourages a different perspective and sparks the imagination. Local film photography enthusiast Rachel Minn Lee has managed to capture these moments, but through the eyes of her adult-self. “Do you remember how things seemed when you were a little bit more naive, more sensitive to the small beautiful things in life? The beauty of having a single moment to yourself, surrounded by nature…”
Rachel is a collector stories – no texts, just beautiful images that bring parts of the world to you. Her recent travels to Marseille, France sparked the idea to put together these images on a digital photo book titled My Everday Marseille. 1o, 000 kms away from Singapore, Rachel explored the hidden parts of Marseille. She took on the role of a Marseille local, but with a core that is truly Singaporean.
Using different types of 35mm film, she immortalised the beauty of the place, including the Mediterranean seas and Marseille’s windblown gardens. “I am just a girl from Singapore who happened to discover a place I could not leave in my heart, a place adored for the tenderness it brought, to my soul. Marseille is a vastly different place from what I was accustomed to, and these photographs are memories of places I could not possibly have imagined existed before seeing them,” she says.
My Everday Marseille is a journal of daydreams and memories, but a digital photo book can only materialise with a little bit of help from you. Rachel has launched a 50 day campaign on crowdfunding platform Pozible to enable its publication, complete with mobile and tablet formats and bilingual descriptions that allow people all over the world to see the beauty of Marseille through the eyes of a Singaporean film enthusiast.
This works only if the target hits 100% or above though. Any lesser and the pledges will be refunded. Make Rachel’s dreams possible with a donation of $5 to $800! These funds will go towards the design, illustrations, translator, and licensing fees. A part of the funds will also be donated to an NGO helping kids at risk in Cambodia. More information on her Pozible page.
Rachel has also written an article about her experience on crowdfunding, the challenges and joys of the first week, and its statistics. Published on Crusade For Art, an American organisation helping photographers, the article is the first installment of a new series on the site called Developing. Check it out here.
