'Lillian's House'(2024)
This is a series about Alyssa's Granny. It explores the connection between Alyssa and her Granny through capturing the warmth of her Granny's home as well as focusing on her Granny's daily life since the passing of Alyssa's Granda in 2017.
Alyssa spent a lot of her childhood in her Granny's house and frequently reminisces on the good memories when entering her Granny's home. With this she wanted to explore it deeper and understand what it is that makes her Granny's house so special to her.
"The photographs of little details, like the kitchen roll protecting the floor for feeding my dog, reveal the intimacy and caring that underpin my relationship with her and hers with others. The work invites viewers to connect with their own family memories and the beauty and loss in the everyday." (Duff, 2024, Project Statement)
Project Statement
‘Lillian’s House’ is a series that follows my Granny Lillian and her daily life after losing her husband. I capture the delicate warmth of her house to help viewers understand my connection and empathy towards her, while also considering her grief. The documenting of her daily routine offers understanding of how she copes as life goes on in her own space.
When I remember my childhood, I immediately call to mind my Granny’s house. I spent a lot of my life growing up there and I wanted to explore it more deeply. The moments captured in the image of its rooms and artefacts reflect time and the many memories that lie between the walls. It is almost a time capsule that connects my childhood memories to the present.
Granny’s hands slowly introduce us to the ‘everyday’ of her world. We glimpse her partially before we see her mid-routine by the window and her presence becomes all-embracing. The photographs of little details, like the kitchen roll protecting the floor for feeding my dog, reveal the intimacy and caring that underpin my relationship with her and hers with others. The work invites viewers to connect with their own family memories and the beauty and loss in the everyday.