Story: This image is a darkroom print of my 93-year-old grandmother, taken during our annual family reunion held in Chicago. Over the image is the effect of placing an acrylic plate that I etched with about 15 other family photographs. When printing in the darkroom, I placed the etched acrylic plate on top of the photo paper and developed the image as usual. This process reveals the etched imagery layered over the darkroom print.

Through this method, I aim to illuminate the multitude of generations and people connected to the matriarch of my family. Without my grandmother, the overlaid images would not exist. This process allows me to create a bridge between the past and present, showcasing the depth a matriarch holds within a family the way she creates moments and memories that ripple beyond her, from the past to the present and into the future.

Submitted by: Noelle Ocen-Odoge

Connect: @noelleabwolaart