The Death of You and Me
I hope my skin settled into your carpet
my hair woven into your sheets
my saliva soaked into your clothes
because that would mean
that parts of me are still there
waiting for you
adjusting into your world
I hope I’m the dust on your dresser
the air that you breathe
my body sleeps in your garden
my skin the soil beneath your feet
How do you tell a story with no beginning, middle, or end? Trauma comes in waves. I used to think it was all at once, like jumping into the ocean. But instead of crashing into me, it laps at my ankles. How do trauma and imprisonment change our understanding of ourselves? How does the trauma we suffer change those close to us?
Five years ago, I was drugged, abducted, and raped repeatedly for six hours by a stranger. It took 360 minutes to escape, only to find myself alone, over an hour away from anywhere familiar, navigating my way home in the darkness. Most of those minutes are black holes in my mind, fleeting glimpses trapped in the void. Trauma comes in waves, washing over me in gentle reminders of what I endured.
My photographic work is a place to ask questions of myself, my assailant, and a society that perpetuates violence. The images question time, duration, and trust within ourselves. Can we trust those around us? Can we trust our own memories?
Emily Wiethorn is an artist and educator based in Cincinnati, OH. They received their MFA in Studio Art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and their BFA in Photography from Northern Kentucky University. Emily has attended the New York Times Portfolio Review, given multiple Imagemaker Presentations at the Society for Photographic Education Conferences, published their work by Vogue Italia, and was shortlisted for the 2023 Belfast Photo Festival. Her work has been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally, and she has been featured online by PDNedu, Lenscratch, Musee Magazine, Fraction Magazine, and more. Much of her work is rooted in familial experiences and how those relationships reflect our identities. Currently, Emily is the Assistant Professor of Photography at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, OH.