A blank surface can mean many things: a pause, a refusal to reveal, a veil of privacy, or, as one participant expressed, a blank canvas.
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Sometimes, participants chose to record not an object, a view, or a possession, but instead a blank screen – a deliberate absence of imagery. Far from being empty, these recordings often carried powerful symbolic weight. A blank surface can mean many things: a pause, a refusal to reveal, a veil of privacy, or, as one participant expressed, a blank canvas – a moment of beginning again after leaving a job, a symbol of freedom, openness, and the possibility to redefine one’s path.
In this sense, blank screens become avatars of transition, capturing the uncertainty, anticipation, and creativity that lie within silence and emptiness. They remind us that absence itself can be eloquent – sometimes, the most meaningful expressions come not from what is shown, but from what is left unseen.
“I recently resigned from my job, so I feel like I’m starting with a clean slate.”
Philippines_ Participant 4, September 2024
“The object I’d say best represents my feelings right now is a blank canvas. I recently resigned from my job, so I feel like I’m starting with a clean slate. I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do next, but so far, I feel as though I’ve been freed and there’s a chance for me to pursue my long-term goals.”