Heritage

These images form a mosaic of my heritage and the memories I hold of it. The streams, mountains, canyons, and forests set the scene where my ancestors once lived. Shepherds lead sheep to pasture across open fields and cool woodlands. My ancestors built their homes, worked the land, and raised their families in the town of Celano. The landscape of Abruzzo largely shaped their lives.

Heritage allows for a unique exploration of the Self. Each step on this land, and every human encounter, becomes a movement toward self-awareness. Photographs discovered in a relative’s home are fresh impressions, seemingly light-years away, of forces that ultimately shaped my own life experience.

How does heritage affect one’s life? Is it comparable to a nation’s history? Does it expand or confine one’s consciousness?

These are questions I pursue by exploring the people and landscape of my origins.