Kindred
Kindred is a collection of images based on my family archive and genealogy. The archive includes materials such as photographs, letters, newspaper articles and more. There is something enigmatic about holding a precious family heirloom, a hand-written letter, or an article leading to a family mystery. These materials are precious in their own weathered form, and in the information they hold, a glimpse into the lives of my ancestors. A photograph, letter, or article can only give one perspective of the story, leaving room for interpretation.
With a desire to know more, I created images to extend upon the existing story of the archive. My work in this series is intended to communicate the stories and people I had not known and allow them to exist in the present, in a new story that reflects my personal reaction to time changing, investigating memory, and creating a personal narrative that connects myself to the people, places, and stories. By reacting intuitively to the materials that sparked interest, I was led down a path of exploring where my family is from, the greater Philadelphia area. By visiting the locations mentioned in articles or seen in the photographs, I rephotographed them to add to the existing narrative.
Kindred is about creating an image to memorialize the past and document the present. The photographs serve as a bridge between myself and my ancestors. Created in an act of remembrance and reflection, these images and stories form a personal connection through time and memory by extending their narrative while creating my own.
