‘Traces Through Time’ is my major second year project is based around a collection of photographs of my Nana and her family’s life in Swansea in the first half of the 20th Century.
Critically, it has also involved conversations with my Nana about their significance and resonance, helping to build my understanding of their importance, and that of the ‘place’ they were taken, in relation to her identity.
I have therefore revisited the sites contained within these photographs and shot them through my Nana’s crystal and vase. This was important in order to establish a direct connection to her in the artistic process. I have then digitally combined the images together to bring the essence of her past into my present day, studying as a student in Swansea. In doing so I want to convey importance of the memories contained within the photographs in relation to Swansea as a place itself.
The project has been crucial in developing a sense of my own identity and belonging in relation to the place and community of Swansea.