My Sweet Elora
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Dates2023 - Ongoing
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Author
- Locations Ontario, Elora
In the late fall of 1970 my grandfather disappeared without a trace. No one knew why he left or where he left to. After three months he returned without an explanation for his absence.
In the late fall of 1970 my grandfather disappeared without a trace. No one knew why he left or where he left to. After three months he returned without an explanation for his absence.
53 years later, history repeats itself within the family. Earlier this year our family fractured: My father had an affair outside of marriage. This abrupt change in my family dynamics combined with the recently discovered information about my grandfather, made me curious about my family history at large.
‘’Where did it all go wrong?’’ I asked myself. I started digging the family archive for pictures and documents. Within it, I found a lead.
Elora, Canada. A small village 115 km outside of Toronto.
There my grandfather had an affair with an unknown young lady while my then pregnant grandmother waited for his return at home. This is how the fracture originated.
I realized that if I wanted to break this destructive pattern, something needed to change within me.
That’s when I decided to visit ‘’Ground Zero’’ myself. And that’s how in the summer of 2023 I set foot in Elora for the very first time.
‘’My Sweet Elora’’ dissects the complicated nature of family dynamics. While also looking at the impact of intergenerational trauma by utilizing this personal story as a case study. It’s an ongoing formulation of identity in the context of family history. A conversation between archival material and contemporary photography. A conversation between what is and what transpired. In doing i use lens based media to embark on an emotional journey, piecing together questions of identity, inheritance, and interpersonal dynamics that bridge past and present.
My project is closely related to this years theme of ''CLOSER". As it refers both to my position to the story, as well to my relationship with Elora itself. Having lived and worked closely with Elora and its inhabitants to fully grasp my families story and all it's mystery. This project is undoubtedly shaped by the obsession to get closer to the core of what defines me and my family.
