Metaphors

(selected images, platinum palladium prints)

Momma died unexpectedly, and we had been distant. I found a list by her bed of books, each with a note next to it…”good,” “recommend,“ “return,” “ok.” The way I handled my grief and regret was to read those books, turning the pages to feel her presence, close in a way that had not been possible when she was here. When I realized that I was becoming distant from my own daughter, I did not want to have the same regrets. I began a project that involved taking photographs of her, combining these with photographs of places I have been and things I have seen as a historical reference for my daughter, the way my mother’s books were a reference for me. These images began as an intimate study of the relationship between my daughter and me. As we continued our work together, universal themes and imagery of shared struggles and conflicting expectations of young women developed. These became personal narratives that we found were shared not only by us, but also collectively by a majority of women.