The Incident of the Lavender Dress originated from a childhood trauma that remained lodged in my memory for the last sixty-five years. The story, which yearned to be released from within the caverns of my mind only came to light within the context of my creative practice.
After spilling some nail polish on my new dress, my mother ripped in to shreds as a form of punishment. The stain it left lay deep within my soul until recently, when the memory resurfaced during my daily writing.
When I began to fathom the power of the memory, I decided to make photographs about those feelings. What you see here is the result of my response to the occurrence.
I find it utterly fascinating how a past event can jump into the present, as if all of life is compressed in a moment and how an incident can influence certain aspects of my life. As a little girl, I thought I was upset about the dress but in reality I realized that
the tear that hurt the most was the emotional rip between me
and my mother
