The Wonders of Domestic Life

Florencia Trincheri embarks on a journey documenting her two young children as they explore and discover their place in the world.

Florencia Trincheri embarks on a journey documenting her two young children as they explore and discover their place in the world.

Florencia Trincheri was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a photographer and journalist dedicated to still photography in films, fashion and advertising. She has been Director of Photography on documentaries, short films and video clips, and she has collaborated with various Argentine and international magazines.

Florencia's work has featured in collective and individual exhibitions. Her series, Character, a work about her son and daughter, was part of the exhibition circuit of XIX Festival de la Luz. She is also one of the founding members of the Argentinian photographic collective M.A.F.I.A. (Movimiento Argentino de Fotógrafxs Independientes Autoconvocadxs).

How did the title of your project, Character, come about?

The title came along after having worked on the project for a while. One day, I just needed to have a concept that could organize and represent the whole body of images I had. 'Character' is a particular combination of qualities that configurates a person and makes him/her different from another. And that idea of showing two persons from birth (that are also my son and daughter) in their process of characterizing themselves is what I want to show. Or it is what they show to me. Both.

When did you embark on this family documentation?

I have been taking photographs of my son and daughter since they were born. Initially as a typical family album, and then the images started to show a particular universe and atmosphere that I wanted to register in this specific way.

How did each personality of your child affect the construction of your images?

The images in this work are the personality of both: León and Antonia. I don't create artificial scenes and I try to photograph with as little intervention as possible. Our photo sessions are absolutely spontaneous and take place in our everyday moments: when we play, when they take a bath, having breakfast, when we are on vacations, when we go to the supermarket, when I see a particular light or shadow…

Do you feel you detach from your two roles, mother and photographer, when you photograph your children?

I am always both.

Why didn’t you include your partner or any other family members in your project?

This work has also to do with the nucleous that León, Antonia and myself created after their father and I separated. We built a new home and in this space is where most of the work takes place.

In my last exhibition, I showed some photographs where the presence of adults was suggested (my mother, my sister and I) and I put the audio of Antonia's birth where the voice of Joaquín, her father, was the leading sound.

But when I started to think about a personal work with my son and daughter as protagonists, I wanted to show them mainly alone in their childish world, in their places, showing their particular brotherhood and individuality without the intervention of anyone else. I don't even show other children, family, friends or school partners. If there are other people, they are just present as part of their scene.

Of course, they are not really alone, I am always there, the camera is me. I am both, an inside and an outside viewer.

Has the work of other photographers, on this topic, influenced your work?

I've been always interested in photographers that work with this topic. Childhood and youth are universes that I love. The emotional lights and shadows of childhood and motherhood too. I am a fan of a lot of photographers in many topics, but when I didn't even know that I was going to become interested in photography, I came across Alessandra Sanguinetti's “Las aventuras de Guille y Belinda y el enigmático significado de sus sueños”: this project will influence me forever.

Will you continue photographing your family as a project? 

This is a work that I think will last many years more. I imagine different editions and formats, but it is mainly an impulsive work. It's not aesthetic. I don't even know when it specifically started. So neither when it will end.

To learn more about this project, visit Florencia's PHmuseum profile

© Florencia Trincheri, from the series Character
i

© Florencia Trincheri, from the series Character

© Florencia Trincheri, from the series Character
i

© Florencia Trincheri, from the series Character

© Florencia Trincheri, from the series Character
i

© Florencia Trincheri, from the series Character

© Florencia Trincheri, from the series Character
i

© Florencia Trincheri, from the series Character

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