Photography
MAMMA, In the Meantime
a series of 100 images over four years
a series of 100 images over four years
It started when I got photo-bombed by my then 91-year-old mother!
My mom has dementia.
About a week after she moved in with me so I could take care of her, I was practicing camera settings while inadvertently blocking the bathroom doorway. Mom unwittingly placed her head in my photo-shoot. That’s when the magic ‘aha’ moment happened. I knew I had to get my mother interested in something to do, so I included her in my art-making.
Initially, it was taking a few reference photos for a painting I was doing of her. Next, the modeling sessions evolved to stand-alone camera images. She’s a natural model. I noticed she was enjoying the role-playing and attention very much. From there, the ideas started flowing. It became about story-telling, her diary of sorts. The conversations we enjoyed, turned into concepts for visual snapshots. As I became more reassured with camera settings and post-work, the imagery developed into more complex compositions. Mom’s feelings of aging and memory loss were instrumental in deciding the direction this series was going. People related to the visual messages of frustration, annoyances, and humorous episodes that dementia can bring. They saw themselves as participants to what I was sharing as a caregiver and a son, through our collaborative story-telling.
The world took notice. From extensive media interviews to international art magazine articles, and to a TED Talk, this journey has produced a profound effect on so many.
Mom, now at age 97, has lost all memory of a life well-lived. This series captured someone who had so much to say, and with these images, she had a chance to describe just a small part of it.
www.YnotPhoto.com
My mom has dementia.
About a week after she moved in with me so I could take care of her, I was practicing camera settings while inadvertently blocking the bathroom doorway. Mom unwittingly placed her head in my photo-shoot. That’s when the magic ‘aha’ moment happened. I knew I had to get my mother interested in something to do, so I included her in my art-making.
Initially, it was taking a few reference photos for a painting I was doing of her. Next, the modeling sessions evolved to stand-alone camera images. She’s a natural model. I noticed she was enjoying the role-playing and attention very much. From there, the ideas started flowing. It became about story-telling, her diary of sorts. The conversations we enjoyed, turned into concepts for visual snapshots. As I became more reassured with camera settings and post-work, the imagery developed into more complex compositions. Mom’s feelings of aging and memory loss were instrumental in deciding the direction this series was going. People related to the visual messages of frustration, annoyances, and humorous episodes that dementia can bring. They saw themselves as participants to what I was sharing as a caregiver and a son, through our collaborative story-telling.
The world took notice. From extensive media interviews to international art magazine articles, and to a TED Talk, this journey has produced a profound effect on so many.
Mom, now at age 97, has lost all memory of a life well-lived. This series captured someone who had so much to say, and with these images, she had a chance to describe just a small part of it.
www.YnotPhoto.com
