The Saddest Day

I come from a family of farmers. When my father was little my grandparents raised pigs. One year the hogs took sick and the entire herd had to be slaughtered on the same day. It was my father’s job to help kill the pigs, by the children in the family, this day was known as The Saddest Day.

May 9, 2008 was my saddest day.

It was the day my grandmother took sick. And not knowing how to face the reality of what was taking place, we did as we had always done. We returned to the farm and took pictures. Two years after her death I was able to develop the film shot on that day. In 2010, I created The Saddest Day, a series of photographs mythically documenting the moments following my family’s return home to the farm after our first trip to the emergency room, two weeks before my grandmother died. Initially, these images were created as a reenactment of a family story. However, today they seem to be about her leaving. My father, sister and cousin dressed as pigs leading her into death.

All images are 44"x44" Archival Pigment Prints on drawing paper.