A photography project, titled Translations, is encouraging children around the world to imagine themselves as they would like to be when they grow up. Photographer Sophie Knijff has traveled to far corners of the globe and taken pictures of children from many different cultural backgrounds and situations. Always seeking the answer to the question “Where do our dreams come from?”, Knijff prompts the children to imagine the best job that they could possibly think of having, then dress for the job. To keep the surroundings indiscriminate, Knijff takes all of the photographs against a plain dark background.
Knijff’s Findings and Process
Knijff reveals that during her travels, she noticed similarities between dream aspirations. In Mali, more children wanted to be doctors or otherwise help people. In Greenland, many children aspired to work in a local shop or become hunters. Some of the children’s responses were humbling or even heart wrenching. A boy in India said that he did not have a dream job, since he already had a job and was supporting his family; his only dream was to keep his job so that his family should not suffer. Another boy did not have the means to dress for his dream job, so he insisted on drawing the jacket that he imagined that he must wear.
Knijff was inspired to take on the project by a young cousin that would dress as a soldier and really become the character as he played, showing a real desire to fulfill his dream that went far beyond playing. Knijff used that inspiration to encourage the children that she interviewed and photographed to really get into the role. She was delighted at the seriousness with which the children took to the task.