On March 11th, 2022, my great-grandmother turned ninety years old.
Myra Sorahan is one of the strongest, most stubborn, and eclectic women in my life. She has lived hundreds of lives, each one more compelling than the last. She survived breast cancer twice, lived through poverty, traveled the world, raised a child, and immeasurably more.
She was born in 1932, during the midst of the Great Depression. Being born into a poor family of ten during this time shaped my grandma and her siblings in many different aspects of their lives. One of the most significant ways it affected them was through hoarding. Most of the siblings that made it to old age became hoarders. My grandma forms intense emotional connections to each and every single item she owns. Getting rid of them is like having to throw away a small piece of herself. It causes her too much pain to part with them.
Some years ago, my grandma was in a car accident. The other people that were involved in the accident decided to sue her. They ended up winning and stole away her home. My elderly grandmother was forced to move into a mobile home. Her beloved home was truly a part of her, and all we could do was watch as it was torn from her. She now lives on her old family land, right next to her childhood house. Her trailer is surrounded by a magical garden full of several of her little treasures scattered throughout. Also found hidden in her garden are the graves of her most valuable companions: her cats. The living ones stay inside her trailer with her, and let me tell you, you can smell it. Maneuvering around inside her home is a task, though I always seem to find the most unique and magical things hidden under stacks of old newspapers or piles of old, unwashed clothes.
Just to the right of her trailer is her childhood home. It’s so weathered now that it isn’t safe to go inside anymore. A few years ago, half of it collapsed and now the chimney stands eerily on its own. I’ve always wondered about the treasures that could be found in that house. In between my grandma’s two homes, there’s a small goat farm. Her family friends help to take care of them and the property.
This project is one that is very personal and important to me. I want to be able to show the mental state of someone who grew up in a completely different time while also honoring her and showing her in the whimsical light that I’ve always seen her in. This will be an ongoing project, one that I’ll revisit over and over again in the future. My grandma has always been such a strong female presence in my life and I want to be able to give her this documentation of how I see her before her next journey.