Hearing to the Pathway of the Dead

In Oaxaca, this ongoing project follows candlelit nights of remembrance. As a Deaf photographer, I translate silence into images of presence, family, and ritual, where light becomes a language and memory feels close.

Hearing to the Pathway of the Dead is an ongoing photographic project made in Oaxaca during nights of remembrance. I photograph the hours when families gather with candles, flowers, music, and quiet care, creating a space where the living and the dead feel close.

As a Deaf photographer, I experience sound differently. In these nights, I sense rhythm through movement, vibration, and attention to small gestures. I approach the cemetery not as a spectacle, but as an intimate environment shaped by light, breath, touch, and time. Candlelight becomes a visual language, guiding how I see presence and absence.

The work moves between wide scenes and private moments. It observes hands lighting candles, children leaning toward offerings, relatives sitting together in silence, and music that fills the air even when it cannot be fully heard. Through these images, I reflect on how ritual carries memory, and how grief can coexist with tenderness.

This project is a search for another kind of listening. It invites viewers to slow down, to stay with the details, and to consider how remembrance is built through care, repetition, and light.