My mom died when I was age 18. She was 42 which means I’m older now than she ever was. I begin making this work, which I call Mom & Me as way to feel a sense of connection with her and also to address the grief that comes with not having her in my adult life. I’ve taken old photos of her from family albums and using a double exposure, place myself into the photo, so that I can share space with her as an adult. These images allow for an imagined fantasy where I am able to  still interact with her in my everyday life, sharing moments of connection. 

 

When I started making these images, I was also reading, for the first time, her journals which span from before she met my father through well into her battle with cancer. I include photos of these journals as well words written in her own pen. The journals give me a sense of her inner life and help me understand her. By including them, I include her voice in in the project as well, giving it a collaborative element between her and me. 

 

In addition to the still images, a very important part of this work is that using stop motion, I’ve created moving images where I have the opportunity to interact with my mom and really have the sense of sharing a living moment together. To accompany each of the moving images, I have composed and recorded a piece of music on violin and voice.