TheTutuProject : Love + photography

I saw an article on BuzzFeed about this project shared via Facebook today.

At first, it seemed like one of those silly stunts that people do just to make something viral on social media. The picture that accompanies the shared post was an image of a chubby middle aged guy wearing a Tutu in a snowy environment. It’s a strong and surreal image, but given the size of shared photo on facebook, it was not very impactful.

The title of the article that says that Bob Carey does this just to make his wife laugh is the bit that caught my attention.

I clicked on the link to learn more.

I was deeply moved on many levels: as a husband, as an artist, and as a human being.

The photographs initially were created as a way for the photographer to cope with the devastating news about his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis. He also did it because they simply make his wife laugh.

Then he realized that it’s actually bigger than what he thought it was. The project touches many lives. More importantly, it brings meaning and purpose to the suffering that they go through.

This project was born out of and carried out with love. It communicates so much. It uses humor and surrealism, but on a very core level shows hope, dreams and appreciation for the gift of life. Bob Carey does all these masterfully through his beautiful photographs.

This is what real art looks like.

A quote from Bob Carey:

“Oddly enough, her cancer has taught us that life is good, dealing with it can be hard, and sometimes the very best thing—no, the only thing—we can do to face another day is to laugh at ourselves, and share a laugh with others.”

Check out and support this project at Thetutuproject.com