mère-fille: an archive of care

In my thesis project, mère-fille (mother-daughter): an archive of care, I reflect on the evolving dynamics within family relationships through the photographic medium. By combining found archival photographs of maternal interactions with images I make in collaboration with my mother, the work centres on the embrace as a gesture of connection. My research draws from 19th-century hidden mother photography, exploring the tensions of both physical and emotional proximity and distance, reflecting on mortality and loss, and examining the historical undervaluing of women's care work. Photographs, video, and ceramics engage with the complexities of shifting roles that accompany aging, through both subject matter and material presence. Rooted in the slowness of analogue photography and ceramics-making, the project fosters care through collaboration and contemplation. The relationship between sculptural form and images unfolds as a dialogue between materials: porcelain embodies the fragility of care, while video introduces the underlying anxiety inherent to caring for someone.