Felicia Simion: The Playground

Photograph Description 1 At age 19, I found myself confronting the end of my childhood, and staring at the beginning of adulthood. I have watched my cousin Felix grow up in a small village in Romania, which many generations of my family have called home throughout their lives. Photograph Description 2 In this quiet corner of Romania, five-year-old Felix develops through traditional avenues. Rather than spending hours staring at a tablet's glowing screen, he plays in the sand. He finds joy in swimming in a small blow-up pool from the supermarket, riding his bike, and gazing up at the Milky Way at night, uninterrupted by passing cars or the howls of drunks on their way home. Photograph Description 3 I discovered a way back from the gradual shift into adulthood, regaining the raw, unaltered spirit cultivated during childhood; I decided to join Felix in his games. I would be the photographer—the storyteller—and he would act out the roles of various characters: a blonde little girl, a dog, a cowboy or a firm young man. Free from any kind of constraints, we let our imaginations run wild. Photograph Description 4 In The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes: And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Photograph Description 5 I entered a new world, recalling my own childhood growing up without electronics. The lack of technology offered me the space to breathe, imagine, and search for my true identity. Each morning, the rising sun swallows up the fear of growing old with its nourishing light. Felix's courtyard and its surroundings become my playground once again, the place where anything is possible. Photographer's Profile Felicia Simion is a 21-year-old photographer from Romania, the oddball of the family. She discovered photography at the age of 13, while doing her Maths and Chemistry homework. She has received different awards in international competitions such as PDN Faces, the International Photography Awards (IPA), Paris Prix de la Photographie, Sony World Photography Awards, Travel Photographer of the Year, and The Irish Times Photography Awards...Read the full overview