Reconstructing my family album

Imagine that all of your family photos are gone … what do you do?

I have been contemplating the loss and replacement of family photos and reconstructing the family narrative spurred by the loss of my own treasured photos of my family and childhood.

I’ve been pondering what it means to no longer have the physical photograph as an aide-mémoire. Are memories of family any less without the photo acting as a visual clue? Are memories realistic WITH the photo? My current work explores the family narrative by combing my memories with found family photos.

What memories are kindled by family photos? How representative are they of the people they portray or the events they record? And as those memories fade … ? These are other notions that I’ve been considering as I rebuild my family photo album.