Where Light Holds the way - Artifact: Chippendale mirror eagle
Artifact: Chippendale mirror eagle
This photograph centers on a lighthouse standing at the edge of open water. Its steady presence offers direction within a shifting landscape, where movement is shaped by both uncertainty and guidance. In response to the Chippendale mirror eagle and its symbolism of vision and vigilance, the work reflects on the role of orientation in shaping experience. Liberty is expressed through the ability to move with clarity, supported by what remains constant. Part of Echoes of Liberty, a collection exploring how everyday structures shape our understanding of freedom.
Photography, Archival Print by Alice Lau
Size: 11x14
About Alice Lau
I am a photographer and visual storyteller drawn to quiet moments that hold meaning beneath the surface. My work is influenced by a global perspective shaped by living across multiple cultures, and by a personal interest in simplicity, stillness, and the relationship between place and emotion. This collection, Echoes of Liberty, reflects on how freedom is experienced not only through grand historical moments, but through everyday structures, landscapes, and shared spaces. I am interested in how liberty is shaped by environment—how it is guided, supported, carried forward, and sometimes simply waited for. Each photograph centers on a familiar element—a dock, a clock, a bridge, a lighthouse, and the architecture of Lowell House at Harvard—objects and places that quietly organize movement, time, connection, and thought. These forms become metaphors for different dimensions of liberty: possibility, choice, passage, guidance, and continuity. My approach is grounded in natural light, balanced composition, and restraint. I aim to create images that feel calm and accessible, while inviting reflection. The work draws from historical references and museum artifacts, but translates them into contemporary visual language that feels immediate and personal. Through this collection, I hope viewers pause, consider their own relationship to freedom, and recognize how it exists not only in moments of change, but in the structures that support our everyday lives.