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InspirationPhotography

Artist collaborates with her daughter to recreate pivotal moments from her childhood in the 1980s

Through deadpan portraits and handwritten texts, American artist Diane Durant has collaborated with her daughter Andie to recreate pivotal moments from her childhood in the 1980s.

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Woman in denim dungarees and blue cap standing on railway tracks lined with bare trees, with handwritten text below the photograph

The photographs, which feature Andie in authentic clothing from that decade, bring back memories for Durant: "The series puts a new spin on old histories as my daughter stands in for a youthful me – the one I remember and the one I wasn't quite allowed to be." Together, Durant and her daughter relive and rewrite childhood stories through this restorative approach to image-making and storytelling.

The series, Stories, 1986-88, is now available as a new book, published by Daylight, which she describes as "a photographic reconciliation of all the things I couldn't change with all the things that never were, with a dash of adult-level cynicism and a handful of childlike innocence – a synergy as compelling as it is relatable, if not entertaining, hopefully."

The pictures and text reveal that Durant and her brother were raised by adopted parents and that their father had a drinking problem. "I wasn't supposed to talk about the alcoholism and the anger, the fear or the confusion, and I'm probably still not. But those truths shaped me into the woman I am today, into the mother I am definitely, just as much as my proclivities for arcade games and the art of sarcasm that seem more biological than environmental."

During this period Durant wanted to express herself as the tomboy she felt like inside, but her mother – and the entire small Texas community where they lived, it seemed – preferred the more female-gendered attire. The photographs in the book depict Durant (played by Andie) being who she wants to be.

In the book's foreword, clinical psychologist Sheree Gallagher, PsyD writes: "This collection of photographs looks back at early childhood memories and externalizes a personal story in order to address both painful and joyful times ... There is great value in looking back, in telling our story, and it takes courage to accept and then represent our personal truths in an honest way. Emotionally charged memories may bias our perspective as we recall only the positive and deny the negative; or we may focus on the negative, rejecting the positive and harbouring bitterness, shame, anger, or sadness. This range of responses and feelings influences how we interact with our past, live our present, and consider our future."

The process of creating this book enabled Durant to connect with her daughter through the power of photography. The book is dedicated to Andie. "For my daughter, who can be whomever she wants to be (now that she's no longer being me)."

A clown in a blue and red suit with oversized green shoes and a colourful afro wig holds a small briefcase whilst standing in a circus car park, with striped big top tents visible behind
Young girl in turquoise shirt and patterned trousers stands in a covered brick archway with handwritten text below describing a childhood Sunday morning memory
A young girl wearing a black and red cape over a blue top stands in front of a Fort Worth Costume shop, with handwritten text below reading about wanting to disappear but being written to be seen
Person dressed as a witch in black robe and pointed hat standing among carved and uncarved pumpkins in a rural field
Two girls stand facing the camera at the entrance to the State Fair of Texas, with a banner and colourful flags visible behind them
Young girl in red sweatshirt and jeans standing in a tree nursery, holding a trumpet, with handwritten text below describing a childhood music lesson memory
Young girl in red shirt and yellow hat stands on rocks by a pond holding a fishing net, with handwritten text below referencing learning to fish from her grandfather
Young person in black number 10 football jersey and white trousers holding helmet on empty field with goalposts behind
Andie stands in a rodeo arena wearing a cowboy hat, checked shirt and colourful striped socks, with text below referencing becoming a sheriff's posse sweetheart
Young girl in maroon baseball uniform and glove standing on dirt field with handwritten text below reading "As the only girl on the team, I wasn't the strongest player, or the fastest, or the toughest, but I could lay down an impossible bunt, because I wa
Young girl in colourful 1980s outfit standing in an empty equestrian arena surrounded by green and black fencing and large trees
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