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Always in the Same Place
I wanted to consider how a familiar pose carries family values, while also assigning each person a place before they enter the photograph.
Looking through my family photo albums, I noticed that my grandparents almost always sat in the center of our family portraits, while younger generations stood around them. Years later, they remained in the same seats. I used to think it was simply a habit, but began to see it as a family ritual. Their seats marked the center of the family, not merely the photograph.
Making
I sculpted five clay figures representing a mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, and child posing for a portrait. Five small screens replace their faces, displaying family members from different households in the corresponding roles. The faces change, but the figures and their positions remain fixed.
Documentation
The question
Through this contrast, I explore how respect is preserved through spatial arrangements repeated across generations. I wanted to consider how a familiar pose carries family values, while also assigning each person a place before they enter the photograph.