Kokoshnik by Jill Depuydt

Head piece / Ornamental NewTalentsByKlimt02 Pattern OnBody

A young Russian girl fled the harsh communist life in Krasnodar. After a long journey, she ended up in Belgium.
I know very little about my Great-grandmother’s life in Russia. She almost never talked about it, and I wonder why. Her concealment created some mystery in our family about her origin.
I felt an urge to discover her life, my own background. I was wondering if new knowledge about our Russian history was going to add value to my identity.

During my process, I encountered several surprising twists that greatly influenced my final project.
I tried to approach an impossible definite identity and in turn created a new one, that also contains fictional elements.
While researching and making the objects, I felt a strong connection with my great-grandmother. Doing this does not solve any mysteries, but it does connect me to her and our roots.