Since Then, is made in the passing days, weeks, and months after the loss of Lily Fernandez’s grandmother. Using Whitby Bay, the site of numerous days out and family trips, the artist uses materials collected from the coast, to create images that have become the very essence of the space. Acting as a pivotal way of reflecting back on these memories, a variety of processes have played a part in the production of this work.
The physicality of making plays a part in exploring love, loss and the material aspect of the photograph, connecting both her own and her grandmother’s favourites places.Her grandmother’s garden is used as an anchor point for creating work, being a symbolic location of both first and final memories with her grandmother. Elements of these locations are brought in front of you, preserved in their chosen moment, before the decay of these memories from death.
The intimate aspect of the photobook shares its connection to bereavement, while the distortions created in the images act as a reference of grief not being a linear experience. The hand-bound construction and use of tracing paper create a tactile and delicate form, enhancing its vulnerability and emotional depth.