Rafaelina (Dhyana) Tineo with David Rodgers
Tennis Balls in the Cemetery
In Jamaica, New York, on a crowded hot afternoon, we crossed the underpass for the Long Island Railroad. Suddenly, we were away from the noisy shopping streets and bustling sweaty sidewalks. The sidewalks on this other side were wide and quiet, and the buildings of the college campus we had entered were set back and bordered by green lawns. Across the street there were other open areas without buildings, more property of the campus. On the next corner, we were surprised to see a small cemetery, bordered on two sides by the sports fields of the college. The cemetery was clearly very old, which we could tell from the leaning gravestones. Looking at the dates on the stones, most were from the 1800s, and very few were even from the 20th Century. But the cemetery was neat and it's grass well cut and raked. We entered and walked around slowly. There was no sense of death or gloom here at all, rather of peace and tranquility, as if the souls of those at rest here were contented. On the other side of the fence, opposite the entry, was a large soccer field surrounded by a dark red running track. On the left side, beyond the fence, was a group of tennis courts, shaded by some old and large trees. The whole sense was of serenity. The stones were very ancient and eroded and we often could not read the writing carved into them. It was while looking at one that I noticed a tennis ball on the ground next to the headstone, lost over the fence from the courts beyond. It was an amusing sight there in the old burial ground, and we took a couple of pictures. Then looking further we saw two more tennis balls on the grass, as if we had interrupted a tennis match among the long departed of Jamaica. They made a lovely contrast with the old stones, and we decided to record them as if they were there not accidently, but placed there purposefully for the amusement of visitors and residents alike. These are the pictures we have sent.
About the artists:
Rafaelina (Dhyana) Tineo
I was born in 1970 on the island of Hispaniola. I immigrated as a permanent resident to the island of Manhattan in 1990 at 20 years of age. Subsequently, I traveled to South Korea, Greece, Holland, and Costa Rica as an international art student. In the early 1980s, I initiated photographic studies in the Dominican Republic at the Cultural Center of Santiago de los Caballeros where I was mentored by master photographer, Natalio Puras Penzo (APECO). I began my paleography studies at the Dominican Studies Institute under the guidance of Anthony Stevens Acevedo and Lissette Acosta Corniel in 2014. I am enrolled at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York where I am majoring in gender studies, and where I have furthered my photographic studies under the mentorship of Prof. Cyriaco Lopes.
David Rogers
I am a performance artist from New York. I have been performing since 1996. Before that I was a photographer. I like to travel. It is a kind of hobby.
Photos: Rafaelina (Dhyana) Tineo
Tennis Balls in the Cemetery
In Jamaica, New York, on a crowded hot afternoon, we crossed the underpass for the Long Island Railroad. Suddenly, we were away from the noisy shopping streets and bustling sweaty sidewalks. The sidewalks on this other side were wide and quiet, and the buildings of the college campus we had entered were set back and bordered by green lawns. Across the street there were other open areas without buildings, more property of the campus. On the next corner, we were surprised to see a small cemetery, bordered on two sides by the sports fields of the college. The cemetery was clearly very old, which we could tell from the leaning gravestones. Looking at the dates on the stones, most were from the 1800s, and very few were even from the 20th Century. But the cemetery was neat and it's grass well cut and raked. We entered and walked around slowly. There was no sense of death or gloom here at all, rather of peace and tranquility, as if the souls of those at rest here were contented. On the other side of the fence, opposite the entry, was a large soccer field surrounded by a dark red running track. On the left side, beyond the fence, was a group of tennis courts, shaded by some old and large trees. The whole sense was of serenity. The stones were very ancient and eroded and we often could not read the writing carved into them. It was while looking at one that I noticed a tennis ball on the ground next to the headstone, lost over the fence from the courts beyond. It was an amusing sight there in the old burial ground, and we took a couple of pictures. Then looking further we saw two more tennis balls on the grass, as if we had interrupted a tennis match among the long departed of Jamaica. They made a lovely contrast with the old stones, and we decided to record them as if they were there not accidently, but placed there purposefully for the amusement of visitors and residents alike. These are the pictures we have sent.
About the artists:
Rafaelina (Dhyana) Tineo
I was born in 1970 on the island of Hispaniola. I immigrated as a permanent resident to the island of Manhattan in 1990 at 20 years of age. Subsequently, I traveled to South Korea, Greece, Holland, and Costa Rica as an international art student. In the early 1980s, I initiated photographic studies in the Dominican Republic at the Cultural Center of Santiago de los Caballeros where I was mentored by master photographer, Natalio Puras Penzo (APECO). I began my paleography studies at the Dominican Studies Institute under the guidance of Anthony Stevens Acevedo and Lissette Acosta Corniel in 2014. I am enrolled at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York where I am majoring in gender studies, and where I have furthered my photographic studies under the mentorship of Prof. Cyriaco Lopes.
David Rogers
I am a performance artist from New York. I have been performing since 1996. Before that I was a photographer. I like to travel. It is a kind of hobby.
Photos: Rafaelina (Dhyana) Tineo
