In the heart of the pre-gentrification Lower East Side, amidst rough blocks and crumbling buildings, the story of a family is revealed through the lens of a photographer. We are talking about Angela Cappetta (1971, New York) and her project Glendalis: The Life and World of a Youngest Daughter. This deeply personal yet universally resonant work revolves around Glendalis, a young girl living in a multi-generational apartment building on Stanton Street. The narrative captures not only the lives of Glendalis and her family, but also echoes the experiences of the photographer herself, who grew up in New Haven, a city marked by sharp racial and economic divides. As of today, Cappetta’s project becomes a 112-page book – Glendalis – published and distributed by L’artiere.
With this project Angela Cappetta makes a journey into her past, a search for her childhood lived amidst the complexities of family and community. The photographer sees herself in Glendalis, the youngest of her family and the voice of her home. A position both vulnerable and perceptive, the younger sister who becomes a messenger of history and family dynamics. During the documentation Angela herself came to the realisation that the voice of the youngest daughter, often silent and neglected, carries an eloquence that resonates with truth and insight.
«For a photographer, getting involved in a project is an unpredictable and organic process. In this regard, my mother says that a relationship can last ‘a reason, a season or a lifetime’. A documentary photographer moves on, and so do her subjects. The life of a documentary photographer is a solitary enterprise. We are perpetually searching for something, although, to be honest, we rarely know what we are looking for until we find it,» says Angela Cappetta.
By capturing the world of Glendalis, Angela Cappetta has also explored her own narrative, bridging the gap between past and present, self and subject. The result is a powerful exploration of family, memory and identity, set against the backdrop of a neighbourhood that, like the people within it, has a story to tell.
CREDIT Angela Cappetta’s Glendalis: The Life and World of a Youngest Daughter- Courtesy of L’Artiere
