This project explores the relationships I have held with the women in my family history. Some of these women I was never acquainted with due to the misfortune of time whilst others very much played a direct role. What is important about all of the women in my family is that either directly or indirectly, their words, actions and appearances have helped shape who I am. To illustrate this influence, I have archived and created mixed-media installations of family photos by pairing the images with fabrics (dupattas) hand picked and worn by my mother. 

My growing fascination into identity studies has led me to the world of archiving and when more closely examined, I noticed the sheer lack of historical research on preserving the South Asian diaspora. Questions arise around this type of examination as to who decides what 'history' is and whose 'history' is deemed worthy of archiving? 
It was not long before I realised it was time to document the history that I saw as being largely absent from public consciousness and something I would have to create for the lack of someone else doing it for me. The people displayed in the photographs are influential within their own right through their moulding of each younger generation to come. This endeavour serves as a much-needed insight into the life and times of the Woman Who Came Before Me…

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