Sometime during the second lockdown I came across a box of old family archives and photos. My father ( Villard ) was brought by a Catalan mother who fled Franco and the civil war, every property, belongings, culture was abandoned behind. My mother (Maiden name Osstyn) was born in Morocco (Agadir) under the French protectorate, one day she was taken away by her mother and brought to France. A few years after, her hometown and a part of her family vanished in the 1960 Agadir earthquake. From my family history nothing really remains apart from the photos and a few objects. We grew up haunted by the lost lives and abandoned lands. My mother only shared a few pieces of information about her past, the rest remains elusive and mysterious with many faceless bodies and unknown stories. On my father's side, the timeline is rather precise ; it is a family story damaged by the wars. It is a love story filled with dramas, death and broken lives. Editing the images, incorporating colours and cuts help me in transforming the immaterial into something more visible, and create a deeper connection with the living and the dead members of my family. This ongoing project is an investigation inside the family images from my grandparents, parents and childhood. Looking for the connections and imprints of our patrimony and identity. Staring at the proofs of past love and family bonds.
