They are photos of my dad’s house and tannery. My parents lived above the tannery, like most families in Tangra. I’m glad I spent the time to document this place. I knew these photos would be the only thing I could take with me.
There were an exoribitant amount of calendars on the wall, all from different years. The living room and dining room were filled with many styles of furniture. My uncle’s water colour paintings hung on the wall along with photos of our ancestors. The tannery was already pretty much closed when I took these photos. Its empty spaces were once filled with drying racks and leather spray painting machines. Downstairs there were large wooden barrels that spun the leather around and aroung to dye it. The views from the terrace were pretty amazing and my mom had it filled with many potted plants.
All these photos were taken on 35mm and when I first got them back, I was disappointed with how grainy and dark and out of focus many of the photos of the tannery were.
Looking back on them 4 years later I have a new found appreciation for how they turned out. A little dark, a little grainy, a little raw and blurry. Just the way I felt when I was taking them to say goodbye. I didn’t even bother colour correcting them. Somehow their washed out look feels suited to the moment and the purpose for which they were taken.
I’m grateful I got to photograph my mom and dad and all their long-time employees around the house as we spent our last moments together here.
I snuck inside to see what was going on. I was surprised to see how foreign it felt and looked without my mom and dad and their things in the house. It was already a world away from me.