"Who's Going to Feed the Cats?"
By Kimberly Halverson
11 Nov 2009
We go through transitions our whole lives. We experience births, deaths, among various jobs, and new loves. How do we reestablish ourselves after these changes, and what do they all have in common? Here we see Luana, 87, undergoing one of the biggest transitions of her life. After playing the part of wife and mother for fifty-one years on the same country farm, this narrative chronicles the journey of a woman dislocated from her home and into an assisted living environment.
In the first half of the story, we see Luana in her home setting. She is doing the dishes, making the bed: normal acts of preparation for the day. She looks comfortable; a woman familiar with her surroundings and rooted in routine. However as the narrative progresses, we see this 87-year-old woman regress into an 7-year-old girl: incapable and in need. Her power has swiftly been reduced after her transition into the new, foreign environment. She is no longer queen of her domain; Luana's power over her environment has gone. But what do we have left when we have no power? And who's going to feed the cats?
5 responses
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mahesh haris said (12 Nov 2009):
An extremely beautifully done series. I love all the photos and the lighting. you have captured these amazingly and deserves to be published. Well done Kimberly. would you mind if i ask you what kind of camera and lens you used an the ISO speed .
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mahesh haris gave props (12 Nov 2009):
Great
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Marco Martinez gave props (12 Nov 2009):
Very touching story in words and, particularly, in images. It is very strong and emotive. Her words, "Who's going to feed the cats?" sums it all up for me. Wow! I love this story.
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Simon Kossoff said (13 Nov 2009):
This is a great essay of beautiful and powerful images!
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Katarzyna Chadwick said (18 Nov 2009):
great work!
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