"My nuclear family consists of fourteen people, parents and twelve children. Our extended family has a total of 182 one-on-one relationships between family members."
Artist: Lydia Toivanen
Project: From One Innocent Look
"In my ongoing project From One Innocent Look I explore my background in a religious community (Conservative Laestadian) and a large family. The project depicts the passage of time and internal dynamics of my family. The project highlights the different realities that emerge for each person despite a shared upbringing and environment. Although most of the siblings have left the religious community, the family still retains a strong sense of love and community spirit."
"My nuclear family consists of fourteen people, parents and twelve children. Our extended family has a total of 182 one-on-one relationships between family members. When you include all of posterity and different variations, the figure is significantly bigger. We sensitively gather to form a single group, either consisting of the whole family or variable formations. As time passes, individuals grow older, and the family grows. Worldviews, roles and dynamics change constantly. I've been documenting these changes for two decades, almost without realizing it. To tell a fuller story I am contrasting childhood photos from the family albums with the ones I have made.
I don’t have children, but I am aunt to sixteen. It is interesting to see how the kids are growing and how the home heritage of our childhood is passed on to them. I will continue with this project for the rest of my life – our family is constantly growing with new members. The title refers to the first time my parents met, and a phrase my mother typically says, “this all started with one innocent look."
© Lydia Toivanen
Editor : Kiko