Mirror Mirror

A project documenting the reconstruction of an abandoned detention center as it became a new safe house. Several survivors who live here participated in photographing the transformation while simultaneously telling the story of their own healing process.

For several years now I have taught art classes at a rescue home in northeast Brasil. Called Project Bethany, the NGO deconstructed and reconstructed a new safe house between 2019 and 2022. During this time, my students photographed the building process, and simultaneously explored transformations that were happening within their own hearts. 

My knowledge of this original facility began in 2012 when I had first moved into the local community. A neighbor advised me, "Careful on these streets, the juvenile prison is a flew blocks down". Never would I have imagined back then, that within a decade, the prison would be abandoned and the non profit I volunteered for would buy it, turning it into a restoration center. Standing on the site today, so many years converged into one moment. It was just a few weeks ago we carried boxes and boxes of shoes, clothes, books, toys, furniture through these doors. It felt like we were nesting for the estimated 3 to 7 million children living on the streets of Brazil. Today, we prepared for the homes' inauguration by hanging a presentation of photos documenting this once traumatized property - on its own newly renovated walls, and what struck me was this vision of the building, constructed not of bricks but of so many lives pieced together. Despite the constant challenges, since opening our first home a decade ago, we've had over 100 girls come through the doors of Project Bethany. It’s not about just the success stories. Every story matters. Collecting these stories is just a small step down the path of a much larger cultural transformation. Each is crucial in building a society where women are empowered and supported to overcome the brutal obstacles in their path.