In this project, young women were asked to once again play dress-up. We asked them to try on clothing and jewelry that belonged to their mothers and grandmothers, a hands-on experiment so they could feel, for a little while at least, what it was like to live like the generations that came before them. The young women spent time together with their mothers and grandmothers choosing the dresses. One wore her mother’s wedding dress, sewn 40 years ago. Another selected the only dress that has survived to this day: a favorite lucky dress that had been carefully kept over the years. As the younger women physically cloaked themselves in the clothes that defined the styles of their mothers and grandmothers, the older women discussed how views toward women have changed in Azerbaijan over the past decades.

For many years I have felt that there’s a gap between generations, there’s always “us and them.” I decided to find out what makes us feel separated from the previous generation: Why do we build a wall and refer to each other as “others”. In this project, I explore an Azerbaijani saying “ana ilə qızın arasında pərdə olmalıdır” which means “there should be a veil between a mother and her daughter.” 

The realities of motherhood during a pandemic—the real cost on their health, the impact on their relationships and how the experience has shaped their identities as parents.

Life has not been paused; it is in the process of changing.

After years of being belittled and shamed by her family, Pari Banu takes a leap of faith and moves abroad to start a new life on her own terms.

The bounty of modern life is creating new levels of inequality.