Glory days
In the summer of 2021 I began to regularly photograph and film my grandparents. For three months, I spent nearly every Sunday documenting their routines–the mid-morning feeding of the ducks in the pond, my grandmother playing round after round of solitaire, walks around Tod’s Point, and the 5 o’clock servings of hors d'oeuvres. Over the past two years, they have performed these practices in solitude while the pandemic persisted. In many ways, the ritualistic nature of my photographic process, from loading each film sheet to setting up and taking down equipment, mimicked the methodical rhythms of our visits.
Mesmerized by feelings of vague nostalgia while sorting through my family albums and photographic archive, I wondered about the absent moments–moments of stillness, suffering, anxiety, and normalcy–hidden behind the documents. As people age and memories fade, are these moments lost to an idealized record of family and youth?
In my work, I aim to explore the role of images in the creation of memory. The documents we choose to collect, capture, and treasure often outlive us. Each generation to follow will bring new perspectives to their family’s archive. Glory Days serves as a reminder to find interest in the mundane, unpolished moments and reflects the continual loss and regeneration of memory.
