it was the sound of the ocean

1980—1981

This series of photographs reflects the richness of experience handed down from one generation to another. More precisely, it is a personal history of my grandmother and my connection to her. In 1980-81 my grandmother, Anna, or Ann as she sometimes called herself, was in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s. 

The imagery in the photographs conveys the qualities that Anna possessed and shared through her self-taught artistic skills and unique creative sensibility. The concepts in the photographs also pay homage to her dignified, independent, and feminine style that were deeply rooted in women’s traditions and Jewish culture.

As autobiography, this photo series suggests a juxtaposition of personalities, choices in lifestyles, and periods in time. The photographs document an intangible, emotional reality, both past and present.