This body of work is my return to exploring family histories, assembled memories and the passage of time. I first became curious about my family’s past, when my uncle entrusted me with a box filled with documents, and photos for safekeeping. These were my grandfather’s belongings. They are the only possessions I have of his, and the catalyst for this project.
I photographed the front and the back of each letter in the box and paired it with a representative object, from which the viewer can make a connection to the meaning of that letter. The final piece consists of 46 diptychs. I juxtaposed the letters with common, and at times kitschy objects—some found, and others, personal belongings. While I was assembling the work, I realized I was creating a visual storyline of my grandfather’s life. The images talk about love lost and found, family, religion, politics, and death. The images are about a life’s span of conscious experiences through the eyes of the people who sent him these letters.
With this work, my goal is to create narratives that explore the connections between our experiences and our awareness of self. My grandfather’s individual journey becomes a template which is applied and layered with the universal quest for identity.
I photographed the front and the back of each letter in the box and paired it with a representative object, from which the viewer can make a connection to the meaning of that letter. The final piece consists of 46 diptychs. I juxtaposed the letters with common, and at times kitschy objects—some found, and others, personal belongings. While I was assembling the work, I realized I was creating a visual storyline of my grandfather’s life. The images talk about love lost and found, family, religion, politics, and death. The images are about a life’s span of conscious experiences through the eyes of the people who sent him these letters.
With this work, my goal is to create narratives that explore the connections between our experiences and our awareness of self. My grandfather’s individual journey becomes a template which is applied and layered with the universal quest for identity.