Arts Thread

In the late autumn of 1970, my grandfather disappeared without a trace. No one knew why he left, or where to. Three months passed before he returned. He offered no explanation for his absence. 53 years later, the repercussions revealed themselves. My father had an affair , revealing the long hidden fractures hiding within our family history “Where did it all go wrong?’’ I asked myself. In need of answers, I dove into the family archives. Within them, I found a lead that shone a light upon my grandfather’s secrets. My search led me to Elora, Canada – a small, quiet village 115 kilometres outside of the city of Toronto. There, my grandfather had an affair with an unknown young lady while my grandmother awaited his return. This is where it all began. Seeing my reflection in the mistakes of both my father and grandfather, I decided not to let history repeat itself again. Prompting to travel to Elora three times in the span of a year. My Sweet Elora is a collection of photographs / moving images of both the past and present Elora. I dissect the complicated nature of family dynamics. While also using it as an ongoing formulation of personal identity and self perception within the context of a family’s history.This study serves as a exploration of the trauma within my family and behavioural patterns, tracing the fault lines outward. My Sweet Elora is a conversation between archival material and contemporary photography. A conversation between what is and what was. The installation (seen in pictures)uses fragments of family Vhs-tapes in combination with scenes from Dr Zhivago (1967, David Lean). My grandfather’s favourite film.He even named my father after a character in the film. These video’s are audio reactive to my grandfather’s voice that’s singing a love song.(before the next teardrop falls (1974, Freddy Fender). They are supported by pieces of text that are picked out of both mine and my grandfather’s diary.