When the Swallows Don’t Come Back

“Matevž! I’m quite good. Every day I go for a walk. Today I was in Preddvor at the pharmacy, I went to get medication. On the way back I went to your mom. She served me nicely. Now I will walk to Zg. Bela. It’s very hard for me because I forget a lot. I’m very grateful to Tomaž and your mom.” 

The text was written by my grandmother. After more than 20 years of taking care of my grandfather who had Alzheimer’s disease, she is currently struggling with her own dementia. When the Swallows Don't Come Back talks about a gradual loss of a loved one, while they are still alive. I'm showing my exploration of presence and absence in the relation to the fear and uncertainty of what might come in the future. It is part of a long-term project about the relations between dementia, memory and the medium of photography.

Her condition changed drastically only a few months after she wrote the text.