A therapeutic conversation between sisters about the vastly underestimated complexity of a relationship that is overlooked.
I have photographed and interviewed over fifty sets of sisters in an attempt to explore the complexity and power of the sororal relationship. I have a sister myself and we have always had a tempestuous relationship, ultimately leaving us at some distance. I think in essence I have been trying to find the secret to a strong connection. To this end, I’ve focused on sisters who are close. However, still the diversity in the dynamics has been surprising - a discovery to myself and often the subjects.
Women are generally more emotionally open and so any solely female relationship will have a degree of closeness to it. With all the context, history and literal closeness of sisters, this can only be heightened further. This means the relationship between sisters is perhaps one of the most unusual in its strength and importance, beyond almost any friendship – the number of tears in the interviews is testament to this.
Alongside their representation as a set, they are of course also individuals. The theme of nature and nurture runs throughout, with the differences in outward appearance and disposition accentuated by the familial similarity, whether subtle or extreme.
As the project comes to a close, consistent themes have unfolded - trust, jealousy, memory, loss, petulance and unconditional love. These often ebb and flow between their past and present relationship. The adult sisters most often have had to re-build their relationships. However (and perhaps this should have been obvious), the formative childhood years always seem to be the basis.
