We live in a world rich with diverse healing traditions, wisdom, and energy work, often brought to life through the unique voices of women.
This series of voices of women worldwide focuses on the holistic voices of the Feminine and the expression of the Feminine. Their stories hold the power to heal, inspire, and connect us across boundaries.
My dear friend Federica is an accomplished photographer, some of the photos on my website are thanks to her. She created an interesting series of photographs called The Dowry, they are done on linens she inherited from her Italian parents. There was so much in what she created and expressed that reminded me of it being a form of Family Constellations. It is a constellation of her family.
In Family Constellations we look at those who came before us, our mothers, fathers, and grandparents and we honor them. If we pause for a moment and acknowledge that we are here because of them. We examine the ancestral patterns we have inherited some unconsciously and some with more awareness. Family Constellations seek to uncover the hidden dynamics of our family systems, healing traumas, and patterns. It is through love that we can heal.
Here is Federica's artist statement in her own words and cyanotype photos of her family.
Federica Armstrong: The Dowry
In 2021, my mother died suddenly, and I was overcome with grief. Art gave me an outlet to process my pain and all the complex emotions I was experiencing. Finding old photographs of my family, especially images of my parents dating and in the early years of their marriage, became the source of inspiration for my project, The Dowry.
In Italy, the old tradition of the dowry refers to the practice of families giving daughters linens, bedclothes, and other household textile items at the time of marriage. The dowry was a symbol of status but also a link to the family of origin.
In the project The Dowry, I explore memory, family connections, and the role we hold as witnesses to our past by transferring those found images onto family textiles through an old photographic process called cyanotype.
Through this alchemy, the fabrics that were once part of family daily life acquire new meaning. Blending the materiality of the fabric with the ephemeral nature of memory, The Dowry becomes the final inheritance after my mother’s passing—a cathartic process of mourning, remembrance, and consolation.
Federica’s story reminds us of the ways art can transcend grief and transform it into something deeply meaningful and restorative. Her ability to intertwine tradition, memory, and innovation offers a profound reflection on the legacies we carry and the ways we process loss.
I hope her story resonates with you and inspires you to reflect on your own connections and healing journey. Thank you for joining me on this exploration of women’s voices, and I look forward to sharing more stories in the months to come.
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