Fading / 漫长的告别 / Zhou Yang
<Fading> is a photobook about my grandma's Alzheimer’s disease and how we coop with the disease as a family. It was a slow and painful process for us as family members, as we witnessed her fading away into her own mind, forgetting everyone who loved her and were loved by her, and losing the abilities to actively live a life. There was a sense of powerlessness looming upon our family. It seemed as if she lived in a world different from ours.
I used photography to record the last three years of her life, but in a way, it was more like a healing process for myself. In her presence, I was always anxious. I had to bring a camera each time I visited her, even though I did not necessarily press the shutter each time. In a way, I saw photography as a means to escape the powerlessness I felt.
After the passing of my grandma in 2013, I spent three years editing the images. I felt that a photobook would be the best way to remember her. My grandma used to work as a pattern designer for the fabric factories in Shanghai. In this process of editing, I looked through her designs and old photo albums of the family. By juxtapose my photos and her design, as well as old photos, I tried to reconcile the reality of her dementia and her memory, for I always believed that the memory was lost, only misplaced in her mind.
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Author: ZHOU Yang
Publisher: Jiangsu Phoenix Fine Arts Publishing Ltd.
<Fading> is a photobook about my grandma's Alzheimer’s disease and how we coop with the disease as a family. It was a slow and painful process for us as family members, as we witnessed her fading away into her own mind, forgetting everyone who loved her and were loved by her, and losing the abilities to actively live a life. There was a sense of powerlessness looming upon our family. It seemed as if she lived in a world different from ours.
I used photography to record the last three years of her life, but in a way, it was more like a healing process for myself. In her presence, I was always anxious. I had to bring a camera each time I visited her, even though I did not necessarily press the shutter each time. In a way, I saw photography as a means to escape the powerlessness I felt.
After the passing of my grandma in 2013, I spent three years editing the images. I felt that a photobook would be the best way to remember her. My grandma used to work as a pattern designer for the fabric factories in Shanghai. In this process of editing, I looked through her designs and old photo albums of the family. By juxtapose my photos and her design, as well as old photos, I tried to reconcile the reality of her dementia and her memory, for I always believed that the memory was lost, only misplaced in her mind.
—
Author: ZHOU Yang
Publisher: Jiangsu Phoenix Fine Arts Publishing Ltd.
<Fading> is a photobook about my grandma's Alzheimer’s disease and how we coop with the disease as a family. It was a slow and painful process for us as family members, as we witnessed her fading away into her own mind, forgetting everyone who loved her and were loved by her, and losing the abilities to actively live a life. There was a sense of powerlessness looming upon our family. It seemed as if she lived in a world different from ours.
I used photography to record the last three years of her life, but in a way, it was more like a healing process for myself. In her presence, I was always anxious. I had to bring a camera each time I visited her, even though I did not necessarily press the shutter each time. In a way, I saw photography as a means to escape the powerlessness I felt.
After the passing of my grandma in 2013, I spent three years editing the images. I felt that a photobook would be the best way to remember her. My grandma used to work as a pattern designer for the fabric factories in Shanghai. In this process of editing, I looked through her designs and old photo albums of the family. By juxtapose my photos and her design, as well as old photos, I tried to reconcile the reality of her dementia and her memory, for I always believed that the memory was lost, only misplaced in her mind.
—
Author: ZHOU Yang
Publisher: Jiangsu Phoenix Fine Arts Publishing Ltd.
