A Site of Her Own

Our eldest daughter was born with a rare syndrome. During conception, some of the information of the short arm of her chromosome 5 disappeared. This tiny loss of genetic material, which occurs by chance, triggers an explosion of events that impacts and conditions our family universe.

In the series A Site of Her Own, and through collaborative artistic interventions with my daughter, who will soon turn 19, we display a visual vocabulary by breaking down symbols traditionally associated with family and loss. We build scenarios and imaginaries that can be mental, but also physical. We pay attention to small, seemingly insignificant details such as the bulging silhouette of a metal cable that looks like a face, or the shape of an animal that appears in the shadows of an unmade bed. We paint and write directly on some of the photographs, adding multiple layers of craft. The final images have gone through various alteration processes, because they have traveled from her hands to mine and vice versa, in an act of mutual trust and allowing the unexpected to happen.

This series was showcased for the first time in FORMAT23 International Photography Festival, Derby, UK, at the Performing Photobook exhibition commissioned by Francesca Seravalle.

Lisa Pram is part of »Guest Room: Simon Baker & Aden Vincendeau«.

Check out her Artist Feature Tener un Cuerpo (To Have a Body).