A Whiter Shade of Pale

In this exploration of memory and emotion, I delve into the interplay between nostalgia and clarity, pain and healing, chaos and serenity—drawing inspiration from the timeless essence of Procol Harum’s 1967 classic, A Whiter Shade of Pale. This collection is not just about the song, but a personal journey that intertwines with its evocative visuals, capturing the essence of conflict and fragile hope. Each piece in this series features three layered photographs, creating a triadic structure that symbolizes the complex, often conflicting stories embedded within us. These images aim to transcend a straightforward narrative, inviting you to connect emotionally. They serve as visual reflections, encouraging you to not just observe, but to feel and reminisce. The concept of layering is fundamentally important; it emulates our experience of grief—never linear, but often encompassing moments of beauty amidst sorrow, order amongst chaos, and the blending of past memories with present realities. Through this merging of imagery, I sought to reflect the disorientation that arises in the aftermath of turmoil, while also alluding to those instances of clarity that can emerge from it. Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale embodies both an ethereal quality and grounded emotion, its surreal lyrics and poignant melodies resonating with the turmoil of a world engulfed in conflict. In these works, I aimed to echo that very contradiction. Grief runs beneath the surface, yet so does vision—the fleeting power to see through the haze of loss and grasp something genuine. This body of work isn't about finding resolution; rather, it provides a space to embrace discomfort, discover beauty in fragmentation, and remember that, like life, art often reveals its true meaning when we engage with it deeply. —Ian Hibbert May 2025