NONNI

Nonni is an investigation of the home my grandparents have lived in for over 40 years. Their relationship started as an arranged marriage when they both came to America, and they have been married for 55 years. My childhood was spent at their house. I remember the rituals of Friday night sleepovers, Saturday morning muffins for breakfast, and the Sunday dinners. To me, their home appears to be the same as I remember it as a child. The furniture in rooms are just as clean as they were last, the wine cellar is packed with bottles of wine fermenting, and the VHS tapes are still in use. My grandfather became ill in the summer of 2018. While the house looks unchanged, everything is different. I am discovering a new dynamic within their household. My grandmother’s role has now changed from being a caretaker of their house to a caregiver to her husband. The regularity of their everyday life has fundamentally been altered, forever. The burdens and costs of declining health for the elderly is something all families will experience.

SAFE SPACE

This body of work consists of portraits of people in the place they feel the most comfortable, vulnerable, or at ease. This may be a place they go to every day or somewhere they wish to spend more time. By bringing my camera to their space, I feel as if I’m going into their world with an intention to understand and document their environment. It is important for me to capture a sense of naturalism in order to depict these subjects as truthfully as I can. I am interested in the idea of comfort and vulnerability, considering anxiety is something I continue to struggle with. It’s comforting to me just knowing that I have a place where I can get some time to myself, away from any chaos, and feel at ease. I am curious about the spaces where others go to feel the same way.

A simple observation of a short visit to Florida.

Observing is a recognition of the small, mundane, yet noteworthy moments in my day to day life. Living in a space that is always fast paced, I’m learning the importance of “stopping and smelling the roses”. The moments in between the events, the breaths between the words, are what I find appealing.