Starting from the image of a nesting doll my aim was to investigate the idea of identity. The etymology of the word nesting doll in Russian, ‘Matryoshka,’ “woman and mother of honest and high principles” fuelled my investigation into researching my identity through the understanding of my origin and the women that have preceded me. Through the selection of family archive photographs I analyse the common physical trait my grandmother, my mother and I share of having big teeth. A voiceover narration over the visual information passing by gives the video a multilayered storytelling. All pictures with smiles of my grandmother, my mother and me unfold the story of our family, and through both humour and seriousness, themes of intergenerational voices, image, identity and womanhood are confronted with the hope of suggesting in the viewer a feeling of empowerment and connection to their own identity.

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