Deborah
Orloff

Elusive Memory: Lost Histories (2020-present)

We know that memories are inextricably linked to photographs, but what happens when we lose access to our family photos and the stories associated with them? Like many Jewish Americans, searching for my family's roots has led to myriad dead ends; I've found names, dates, and random facts related to a handful of ancestors, but nothing close to a complete narrative. Details of individuals have been lost as people die and their memories disappear with them. This is further complicated by the fact that I come from a diasporic culture where most official records from Russia and Eastern Europe cease to exist, and histories depend on oral traditions.

"Elusive Memory: Lost Histories" is a series of intimate photographs that deny viewers much of the visual information photography normally reveals. The project utilizes personal, archival materials and cultural artifacts belonging to deceased Jewish relatives but speaks to ubiquitous issues including the ways in which memories are tied to photographs. These still life images allude to forgotten family narratives and identities - particularly as they relate to forced migration and lost ethnic culture - the case for my ancestors who fled Russian pogroms and antisemitism. My photographs represent the universal experience of struggling to recall details of the past – often with little clarity – and speak to the ephemeral nature of memory.