Ties van de Water

Shortly after his mother passed away in 2023, Ties found an envelope marked ‘Scotland 1988’. Inside were photographs of his mother and grandparents on holiday. Memories of the hikes and journeys he had shared with her came flooding back, even though he had never been to Scotland himself. As he looked at memories he had never lived, his mother briefly came back to life. 

 To what extent is she really gone? Is there life after loss? And how do you convey the absence of someone who remains so tangibly present? With these questions in mind, I Will Carry This Stone was born. Ties set off for Scotland, in search of an understanding that his mother would not be there. What he found was a different way of coping with loss. 

Drawing on his family archive and elements from Scottish folklore and traditions, the photographer seeks to show us that absence is not absolute. Loss leaves traces of presence behind, allowing the past to guide us in interpreting and bearing the present. Grief, therefore, is not a burden, but a stone to be carried with pride.