Marivi
Ortiz-Shoda

In-between

At the time of this project, my daughter was 10 years of age. There comes a time when your child stops communicating every detail of their daily experiences (a crushing moment to any parent). As a young girl of Latin American descent, I recall often being confused about my identity and wondered what similar feelings my daughter, and other young girls her age, may have been experiencing and not communicating.

In response to my concerns, I spent a few years photographing my daughter and a few of her friends. I wanted to unmask the physical appearance of the girls and convey a sense of the individual within groups. To do so, I recorded the seemingly ordinary signals of presence and space. Such signals, apparent through gesture, various emotional and psychological nuances, and the personalization of space, are often used to reflect one’s unique interests.