‘Threads of Time’ is a piece built around my family heritage. Each photograph on this print represents the loss of friends and family. My late grandmother and great-grandmother are cut out of most of the images, leaving only the white profiles, as well as the farmhouse on Hawerklip symbolizing loss. The farm was sold a few years before my grandmother became ill, the farmhouse and the palm trees in front of it were cut out because of a story my grandfather told me. They dreamt of having their ashes scattered there, but unfortunately, life decided otherwise. I’ve cut out the generation of women in my family that have passed, it is just my mother and I who are left. 
The goal of the print is to be used as a ‘kopdoek’ (an ode to my grandmother who passed of cancer), to cover the insecurities and tears. It is worn in a ‘Pioneer’ style in the second piece (they left Rhodesia, in search of a better future) representing the ancestors of my mother and grandparents. The fabric carries memories, both joyous and heartbreaking. Carrying this with me, it symbolizes growth after grief and reflects the journey taken to mold who I am today. There is beauty in the permanence of the print that communicates the value of change and how you adapt to it, even though it may not be what you envisioned.
The emotional value of the pieces’ are incredibly significant to me. It represents my physical departure from the negative memories, but my choice to carry it with me to honour the lost and celebrate the beginning of new lives and the blessing of having my loved ones close to me.
The photographs below are what I used on the Cyanotype print, a montage of my family heritage if you will.
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