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Entrevista
a Anne Geddes e Celine Dion sobre o Projecto "Miracle".
Julho de
2004
Q:
Please talk about the Miracle project and how your collaboration began.
Anne:
I first met Celine several years ago, when she was incredibly kind to an
eight-year-old girl whom my husband and I were very close to, who has since died
of cancer. Celine and I discovered that we have common values, and we both
cherish the love that can be expressed in families. Our friendship grew, and we
began to talk about how much we would enjoy working together.
Celine:
I think it was meant to be. In my career, which really means my life, I had
reached the point where I wanted to add a performance element that would
complement my music. The Miracle lullabies and love songs, combined with
Anne's images of these beautiful babies, is a unique project that means a great
deal to us.
Anne:
The combination is a perfect blend. We believe that each new life is truly a
miracle. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to create Miracle with
Celine, whose vocal artistry completely captures our shared love for children.
Q:
In what ways did the Miracle project differ from your other work?
Anne:
Initially, I was nervous about the shoots with Celine. On the first day, I
couldn't help thinking, 'she's an adult,' and taking photographs of adults and
designing attire for them is not really my line of work. Of course, it all fell
into place beautifully.
Before
the shoot, I told Celine what I tell everybody who's posing with the babies, 'This
is not going to be like your normal work day, or any other photographic session
you have encountered. You will get wet, and unexpected things will happen,' and
she said, 'Stop, stop, nothing will be a problem.' She was right; nothing was a
problem with Celine.
Celine:
I'd been enjoying Anne's work for so many years, through her numerous books,
calendars, her baby clothing line…and now we've had this wonderful time of
being together and discovering a bit more of each other...
Anne:
There are so few people who could come into this project and embrace the whole
experience. I think Celine is a person with a very big heart, and with a lot of
empathy for newborns. It is so plainly visible in the imagery.
Q:
Celine, how did you feel about your work as a model in Anne's images?
Celine:
I never previewed the images during the shoots because I wanted to discover the
magic and the miracle when Anne had completed all her creative work. I had total
confidence in Anne. I know she's the best at what she does. I wanted to give her
the time to achieve her vision.
Anne:
Celine has such a presence, a strong female aura. There is a photograph of her
with a lotus flower that I just adore; she is so intense, feminine, and proud
with the child. Through all the required set ups, including more than a hundred
newborns, she remained completely poised, sensitive to the infants, and full of
humor, which touched us all. At every step of the process, Celine was fantastic.
(To Celine) Everyone relaxed as soon as you came in and started singing to the
babies. I never had to worry about you.
Celine:
Just as I told you not to worry once I started on my turn, bringing you into my
recording studio, and asking you to sing; you could just trust me.
Anne:
I had to politely decline your offer because I couldn't wait to get home to
select the images for the book.
Celine:
And I went to the recording studio because I couldn't wait to sing those love
songs, which became part of the Miracle project.
Q:
Celine, tell us about selecting the songs for the Miracle CD.
Celine:
I have to say that another thing that was meant to be is the song, "Who
Could Ever Love You More?" that was written for me by the incredible
songwriter, Linda Thompson. It was supposed to be on my most recent English
recording, but it didn't make it for whatever reason, and was perfect for this
project. For the CD, we re-titled it "Miracle" because of the miracle
of new life.
Anne:
I've listened to it countless times... it's always brand new and gorgeous. (To
Celine) It could be something to do with your voice.
Celine:
The other pieces we recorded have special meaning to me, and address the deep
and universal connection between a mother and child. We chose the other songs,
including a favorite lullaby, for the Miracle CD because they express
this bond of love so eloquently.
Q:
How do you convince new mothers, sometimes first-time mothers, to allow you to
work with their child?
Anne:
Truly, the parents select me. I owe a huge amount of gratitude to the parents of
every baby in Miracle, who so willingly entrusted their tiny newborns to
Celine and me. I feel very honored. It's an incredible responsibility; each baby
is a totally vulnerable human being. People are aware of what I do and what I am
about. They come because they trust me, and Celine was an added bonus. No one
outside my studio team knew she was part of the shoot.
Celine:
The parents are also fragile; all their emotions from seeing their baby for the
first time just a few days or weeks ago, it's all right there.
Q:
Anne, is it true that many mothers were surprised you were personally involved
with their babies, changing diapers?
Anne:
Babies keep me real. I've changed thousands of diapers. I love to see little
naked newborns; they're just so divine.
Celine:
I think people are surprised because you could easily be concentrating on the
technical aspects of the shoot, positioning the babies, and asking your studio
team to do this and place that. I feel the moms and dads are very impressed that
you talk to them and cuddle their babies. You pose their infants, whisper sweet
words to them, and then you change their diaper. The shoot becomes more than
your work, because you care so much.
Q:
What would you like people to take from Miracle?
Anne:
Miracle is my way of sharing the great sense of joy these babies give me,
and the awareness of the wonderful potential of each child. All of these babies
that Celine has posed with, in truth, all babies, are so very precious, so
valuable and deserving of all the loving care and respect we can give them.
Celine:
It's very moving, when you hold an infant and are so close to purity. The best
thing to do is enfold them in your arms and show the world that, this is the
only thing that matters.
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