“In this project I have documented the final years of my Grandmother’s life as she was suffering from a degenerative brain disease. The images were made during moments of conversation, gesture, and experiences of death. The variety of photographic approaches towards the subjects are representative of a frantic need to record all aspects of my knowledge of her (whether performative or candid) in a hopes that these moments could be pieced together again, attempting to construct a more accurate portrait of how I would remember her. My Grandmother and I had a tumultuous relationship, never thoroughly understood, and missed connections of tastes and values flourished throughout our entire lives. Looking back on this project, the photographs reveal a deeper language we had been sharing for years, constituted of mutual vulnerability and trust, acted upon even in death.”
-Rachel Cox
In her series, Shiny Ghost, photographer Rachel Cox documents the last years of her grandmother’s life as she suffered from a degenerative brain disease. The resulting images capture the essence of her grandmother and form an intimate portrait of the tumultuous yet deep connection shared between the two women.