Comme La Terre; Notre Mère Terre

Welcome to the gallery guide! Here you’ll find the title of each image, as well as some of the symbolism imbedded in the imagery.

The tour begins from left to right, and each image is laid out in an ordered sequence. You begin with the first collection of vibrantly colored Menstrual images, beginning and finishing with the menstrual phase.

This collection was based on how Eastern medicine views the female’s menstrual cycle; often comparing each phase to a season of the earth: winter, spring, summer, fall.

Pregnancy is often viewed in three trimesters, however, in this series we explore the fourth trimester as well. As I prepared for my own pregnancy, the term “nesting” struck me, and the idea behind this portion of the project was born.

What if trimesters of pregnancy were also compared to the earth? How do they relate? I was surprised at how synonymous the two already were, and enjoyed speaking with each woman I photographed about their experience and opinion on the concept.

There is a very wide range of experiences that women face with menstruation, conception, pregnancy, and fertility in general. I’ve found that this wide difference has become this project’s most beautiful discovery: with all our differences and individual experiences, we remain connected.

We, like the earth need the flexible permission to ebb and flow through our various “seasons” in life. These seasons are no longer a weakness, but our greatest strength.

XO,

Alexa Ditto