Originally produced as a handmade book, “adaptations” is a series of images taken in my grandparents’ house, together with scanned reproductions of notes written by my grandfather. It explores the narrative of my relationship with them, as well as the broader narratives of family, age, economic attitudes and gender.
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My grandparents are in their nineties and still live together in their own home.
One of the reasons they’re able to do this is my Grandfather’s resourceful use of bits and bobs around the house as protection from perceived risk or to create solutions to problems that frustrate them.
As well as being practical aids in their daily life, these ‘adaptations’ fulfil a need in him to be useful, to care for his wife, and to keep himself busy.
This project is a celebration of his stubborn refusal to leave things be, and of my grandparents’ shared values of making do with what they have, in a society of disposable technology and quick fixes.
Miriam Winsor, March 2016
Note: a list of illustrations, explaining the role of each ‘adaptation’ shown is the final page.
Click any image to enlarge
