Shadows of the Summer Wind

I aim to visualize the threads of stories and experiences that can resonate with a broad audience. My work focuses on the theme of memory, observing space, and creating objects and narratives by hand.

Shadows of the Summer Wind

In my project, I delve into the transformation of my family's summer country house—a place where I spent every childhood summer, surrounded by nature and a close-knit community. Back then, it was a vibrant and lively setting: we played outside with friends from dawn until dusk, visited each other's homes, and knew all the neighbors by name. The cottage was at the heart of my most cherished memories, a sanctuary of warmth and connection.

Returning there two years ago, I was struck by how unrecognizable it had become. Although the physical layout remained largely unchanged—the same houses, the same streets—the atmosphere was starkly different. The community that once filled the place with life had largely vanished. Many residents no longer visited, their houses now standing abandoned, while those who still came rarely ventured beyond the confines of their own plots. The surrounding forest, once cleared to make way for the cottages, was slowly reclaiming the land. I found myself in a landscape that was both familiar and alien—a kind of cemetery of memories where echoes of the past lingered, but the spirit was gone.

Through my photographic practice, I aim to navigate this duality. I revisit the scenes of my childhood, attempting to reconcile the vivid memories with the present reality. The images serve as a meditation on the passage of time, the inevitability of change, and the tension between nostalgia and acceptance. In capturing this evolving space, I acknowledge the loss, but also explore what endures.