Nurtured In Concrete Form 2007- began with the initial idea of recording my family homes. However as the project developed it took on its own direction; unveiling family secrets, the onset of mental health illness, religion, immigration, Irish heritage and the impact of historical events upon my family and my very existence; such as the Second World War and Irish Potato Famine.
My grandmother who suffered from Alzheimers at the time took the photographs taken in her home at Lon Olchfa, Sketty Park, in Wales.The photographs my grandmother took were places where she claimed that ghosts visited her every night when she was in bed.
The compositional elements in my images uses doorways and windows as an allergory representing traces of my deceased relatives and their a passage way in to the next world.The resonance of each image portrays a collection of lives lived and living that may still remain through the haunting of the home and atmosphere that remains.
Nurtured In Concrete Form is a record of my family’s past and present history of human existence within the domestic environment. I began by placing myself in the image, setting the camera on self timer to represent my family member and the stories they told. The garments worn are taken from a family collection of clothes which were once worn to special occasions and events; weddings, christenings, births etc.
My photograph is about the mystery of reality and its depiction to convey truth. Why I photograph these places of my history is only relative to my family and life but to share the concept of home is relative to every one.
The home is a manifestation of human touch with an investment of time and accumulation of life stories. The space inside a home becomes a place paved with memories and belongings. Each room a trace of human existence. As for the representation of home this is unique to each individual.
All photographs were taken using 35mm or Medium Format black and white Film and processed in the darkroom onto Fibre Based Paper.
The Drying Room Blog 