Irena Siwiak Atamewan

Photography has been a big part of my life for about 35 years; I’ve spent that time exploring different genres in photography resulting in an eclectic body of work.

My current project: ‘Sitting with Mother’:

This work stems from my mother’s initial diagnosis of Alzheimer’s six years ago, and followed the time spent going for walks, sitting on benches and teashops along the way. The work began as a casual document of the walks, revisiting and re-seeing the town where I grew up, then developed into a body of work documenting my mother's journey through the disease. The images becoming more intimate as her condition progresses, my mother’s world becoming smaller, spending more time at home. I use the camera I have with me; it may be a DSLR, a Rolleicord or my iphone. The iphone being the most convenient camera and helps me create the most intimate images, it is less intrusive and can be used quickly.

This work is in progress with plans to create a book.