Jennifer and James Perriman

I created a photo-poem, Japanese hand bound book, to document the fifty-six years of my grandparent's marriage. The book contains eight vanitas-style tonal images that were visually inspired by Andre Kertesz. I had been documenting how time has impacted my grandparents’ relationship and ultimately changed it.

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I conducted photoshoots around the symbolism of various objects that relate to my grandparents, like a glass vase that was a wedding gift, old photos of them, and jewellery that I associate to them. These objects surround two spoons. A teaspoon, representing my grandfather who shows his affections through cups of tea, and a dessert serving spoon, symbolising my grandmother, who is known as the family cook. These spoons are the central focus of my images, narrating my grandparents’ marriage.

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To accompany the images, I wrote a poem, comprising of six quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme. The opening and closing line is "Fifty-six years by one another's side," which creates a cyclical structure, representing my grandparents' devotion to one another. This is heightened as each A line is handwritten by my grandfather, and each B line is handwritten by my grandmother.