Many years ago, there was a horrific crash on a country road we took out of town. Pieces of the vehicle lay scattered everywhere…
Later, bouquets appeared by the roadside, and a cross was erected.
© Richard HuangYears passed, and whenever I went by, the flowers were still there. I began to wonder: were they real or artificial?
© Richard HuangFrom then on, I began noticing how people in Canada leave flowers or keepsakes at accident sites to remember family and friends who have died.
© Richard HuangDuring the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, I found myself at home with time on my hands and decided to go out and photograph something. These roadside memorials became one of the subjects I wanted to explore.
© Richard HuangWith most people staying home, there were few cars or pedestrians about. Only the flowers remained, quietly watching over the empty streets.
© Richard HuangThis bicycle had been painted white. I imagine it was once ridden by the person who died. One day last winter, after a heavy snowfall, I passed by and saw the solitary white bicycle against the endless snow—a scene of desolate beauty.
© Richard HuangAt this memorial, they had also placed a photograph of their loved one, along with what may have been a favourite stuffed toy.
© Richard HuangCars roar past, leaving the flowers trembling in their wake—a reminder of just how fragile life is. In a single instant, the living and the dead can be parted forever. All that was beautiful, all that was intimate, slips into the past like the wind and becomes remembrance.
It brings me back to the pandemic and how vulnerable we are. Take care of yourself. Cherish life, and live in the present.
© Richard Huang