Memory traces

The sudden loss of a loved one always catches you by surprise. By inertia, you continue to cling to shared memories, trying to delay the moment of goodbye. Constant dreams where you are together, visiting places that are memorable to both of you, the ghost image of a person haunting you everywhere – all these are traces of memory. They give rise to the feeling of a phantom limb and prevent you from truly realizing and accepting the loss. The more you try to avoid the feeling of loneliness and abandonment, the faster it overtakes.

Maria Norden is a Russian photographer and filmmaker from Pskov, who now lives in St. Petersburg where she studies at the Academy documentary and art photography Fotografika.