I’m not sure if Brenda Sherman had come from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Athens, Corfu, Milan or Delhi that day. Or if maybe she had been on my flight from Madrid. Probably not: The pick up guide would not have been there waiting for her.
My flight, or ours, had been delayed by four hours. The fact is that Brenda and I arrived at Heathrow about the same time. I carried only a backpack with some clothes, my photographic equipment, and some (my habitual) irreverence.
Brenda, however, must have checked a bag, which would explain why she exited customs after me. I had never heard of Brenda. I had not the slightest idea of her existence, provenance, appearance, competence, coexistence, belonging, intelligence, urgency and perhaps clairvoyance. This last characteristic being the only one capable of generating some concern in me. It was as if Brenda had never existed, until the moment I left the baggage hall. I was in a hurry, rather keen to get home. The four hour delay had been significant, disturbing, delirious, yawning, overwhelming, burdensome, strenuous, decisive, thriving. I knew no one would come to hug me at the airport, but still, with vain hopes, my eyes gathered in everyone who stood anxiously, anticipating the kisses of their beloved ones arriving from other lands. A little farther to the right, a considerable number of drivers were lined up. They were waiting for Natasha Miu, Mr. Brown, Peter Collins, Paul Parker, Brenda Sherman, John… Brenda Sherman! A slightly bald man with large, expressive, black eyes behind his glasses, a striped blue and white shirt and black pants held the paper in front of his belly with his both hands. The sign said “BRENDA SHERMAN” written by hand in capital letters with an orange marker. I looked into his eyes. I smiled. And walked with determination in his direction.
About Angela Sairaf
PhD in Techniques and Processes in Imaging (Complutense University of Madrid) and Master of Contemporary Photography (EFTI), received three training scholarships at the International University Menéndez Pelayo where she studied Visual Poetry, Creative Processes of a Reporter and The Nature of Photography. Worked for over 15 years as a writer and photographer for important Brazilian magazines. In the 90’s, worked for a renowned modeling agency in Tokyo. Receives awards and participates in solo and group exhibitions in different countries. Frequently presents at conferences in prestigious schools of art and photography as EASDA, TAI, EFTI, APERTURA and MACA – Contemporary Art Museum of Alicante, Spain. Her work was shown in several photo festivals as FINI (Mexico), Paraty em Foco (Brasil), PhotoEspaña (Spain), Indian Photography Festival, Budapest Photo Festival, Photometria (Greece) and others and is part of the collection of MACRS – Contemporary Art Museum of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil as well as private collections. [Official Website]
