This series documents a group of elderly women living within an isolated peninsula in Northern Siberia. They were once part of a migrating society of reindeer herders, but today, in their old age, spend most of their days in solitude, isolated from nature and their wandering community. While men are encouraged to maintain their roles as herders as they grow older, women often face the struggles of old age alone. I immersed myself among the people living in this the small Siberian village. Over many cups of tea, they shared their stories, lullabies, and longings with me. Listening to their stories felt like walking on a thin line between present and memory, reality and a dream. Using those stories as my map and compass, I went to document the same spaces they thrived in long ago. I created photographs inspired by their memories of the past and juxtaposed them with portraits that reflected their current reality. By doing so, I tried to give their stories a visual representation— One that could last after they are already gone.

Artist talks

When: 12.30pm Saturday 4 May

Where: Festival Hub, Paddington Town Hall, 249 Oxford St, Paddington NSW 2021

Topic: How to receive a portrait instead of taking it and four other lessons the people I photographed taught me

AND

as part of Head On Conversations, session 1 Why is nobody paying attention? Recapturing the audience

When: 1.30-2.45pm Saturday 4 May

Where: Imperial Hotel, 252 Oxford St, Paddington, NSW, 2021

https://www.headon.com.au/content/head-conversations