No memory is ever alone

New york photographer catherine panebianco blurs the lines between past and present.

Hi Catherine! Tell us about your series, No Memory is Ever Alone. My dad has shown these slides every Christmas I can remember – the photos were taken from when he was 15 to about 25. He’ll bring out the old projector and screen, we’ll get the popcorn, and we’ll gather around to watch the slideshow and hear the stories. It’s a family tradition.

My series started in 2016. My mum had the slides out, organising things, and I was doing an Instagram project based on a word or phrase for the day. That day was ‘from where I stand’. I saw a slide of my mum in a boat at Newboro Lake in Canada – where our family has gone each summer for years – and thought, maybe I can do something with this at Chautauqua Lake, where I live now. I took it down there and tried hundreds of photos until I saw the backgrounds line up. I knew I had something and started trying other slides in my present environment. The past intertwined with the present.

What kinds of moments are featured in your dad’s slides? They’re everyday moments. He was just learning photography, so he took photos of his everyday life. I’ve placed his slides in my everyday life, too, to represent our day-to-day happenings: weddings, road trips, family and relationship moments. It’s created a trail of memories, each of which has its own association for both of us.

Is it tricky to match the images in the slides to your surroundings so perfectly? It can be tricky! Some are super-easy and just ‘happen’; others I really have to think about where I’ll place the slide so it not only makes sense from a compositional perspective, but also means something to me.

What kind of connection do you feel with your parents when you take these shots? I feel I know them better, and I see them in a different light given they were so young, just starting their lives. My mum passed away almost two years ago (about halfway through the project) and by taking these photos, I feel like she’s still here with me – her spirit is in my current environment. It’s comforting to think your loved ones remain with you.

What does your dad think of the images? He loves them. He didn’t quite understand what I was doing at first, but now it’s pretty cool for us to have this little project he had a big hand in creating. Also, I’ve learnt even more about my family, as he always has a story I haven’t heard before!

Is this an ongoing project? I don’t have too many more slides to try. There are only so many, so it’s almost complete. Dad stopped taking the photos when my brother was born because he was too busy with work and kids, and some of the slides just don’t work with the project. I’m currently talking to publishers about doing a book of the images.

Have you learnt anything while putting this project together?

I’ve learnt it’s so important for families to take and keep photographs. If my dad hadn’t done this 60 years ago, I wouldn’t have had all these memories – or more importantly, a visual representation of our memories. I worry that people aren’t printing photos of their family life. What will happen 50 years from now – will those memories from our iphones and Instagram be there for future generations? I also learnt that these photos are my family, but they’re also every family. We all have traditions – they may look different, but we all have them. People often tell me the photos spark a memory from their own family, and that makes me really happy. It’s important to remember that we’re a lot more alike than we are different.

Are you a nostalgic person, generally? I didn’t use to be, but as I get older I’m definitely more nostalgic. These times with the pandemic and politics especially can be so stressful and anxious, and thinking about the past and all those wonderful things is comforting and makes people feel better.

What is your definition of home? Home is where my family is. I moved a lot as a kid, so didn’t have a stable ‘physical’ home or hometown, but I did have a stable family who loved me. So for me, home is anywhere I feel loved.

Where can we see more of your work? You'll find it online at catherinepanebianco.com or on Instagram at @panebiancophotos.