Fragments of Self is a photo-essay created as part of my Master’s Thesis at Concordia University, titled “Picturing Anonymity: An Empowering Method of Representing Gender-Based Violence”. This project emerged from a collaboration with a model to narrate different parts of their identity, referred to as 'fragments'. The deliberate choice not to reveal the model’s identity is a key aspect of my research.

In this project, I employ various techniques to ensure the anonymity of the subject, preserving their privacy and safety. The primary goal of this photo essay is to serve as a prototype for telling stories of gender-based violence with a focus on healing and empowerment, rather than on the violence itself.

This project aims to create an alternative representation to the stereotypical narratives of gender-based violence, consciously avoiding victimization, sensationalization, and normalization. By utilizing imagery that protects the subject’s identity, this approach offers individuals the opportunity to share their stories while remaining anonymous, ensuring their privacy is respected and safeguarded. Despite this, both the model and I are aware that some images may reveal details that could be recognizable to people who know them well. To address this, the model signed an informed consent form acknowledging these potential risks.

To learn more about the project, check out the proposed guidelines called “Empowering Anonymity: a Visual Method of Representing Gender-Based Violence.”

What you are going to see are images that tell a story about me.

Fragments of Self

I am these images but these images aren’t me. 

What you see are fragments of myself, ones that I want you to see.

You don’t need to see my face or know my name to understand me.

You too are made of fragments.

Try to withhold your judgment and observe.

This series is a photographic journey of self-discovery and empowerment,

with the hope that it will inspire others to share their self in fragments.

I am the place I grew up in

I am the smell of my mother’s smoke coming from the kitchen,

the red everlasting geraniums on the balcony,

the tall oak trees

and the sounds of crickets in the night.

I am the feeling of an everlasting adventure in the woods

and the magic absence

of time.

I  am the memory of a child who tiptoed in the night to gaze at the sky,

loved and embraced by the dream of who I wanted to become.

Sometimes I wish I could forget my past as effortlessly as the waves ceaselessly flow

I am my body.

Over the years I have seen my body grow,

change,

and transform.

If our body is constantly changing,

then perhaps our self is too. 

I have learned to feel confident in my body and to love who I have become. 

I have learned to cope,


Even if I might seem strong and confident, part of me still hurts.

to go on,

to heal myself,

but that side of me still exists.

I couldn’t take the humiliation, the hate, the disrespect, and the abuse anymore. 


I left,

blocked,

run away. 

My self

in

fragments.

I regained control over myself,

I started feeling empowered in my strength,

I started having new experiences,

I started adding new fragments to myself.

I found strength in myself

Make it stand out

I have found ways to let go

and I feel like I can finally breathe again.

Smoking has helped me breathe

through hard times

and feel reassured that

whatever situation I will have to take in,

there is always a way out.

I can breathe it out.

I am part of nature and one with nature.

I feel at home

when I am

surrounded by trees

and when the trees surround me.

I feel comfortable being alone

when nature is holding me.

Sometimes

I feel like I am fading away as if my existence is a glimpse of a memory,

a fragment of my mind.

Sometimes

I wonder about the meaning of my existence

and why I was destined to have

that experience

in my past.

and I feel small,

as if I was

nothing.

Sometimes

I feel like I can be everything and everyone, I can embrace the world and overcome anything. If I am nothing, then, can I be anything?

If I could choose anything, I would embrace change

like the ever-flowing water

and leave a mark

as enduring as the forests

have left on me.

I choose to be strong,

kind,

and giving.

I choose to be myself knowing that my self is made of many things.

I choose myself in fragments.