Asbestos widows share stories of loss

26 Aug 2009, 12:06 pm   -   Source: Sonya Gee SBS
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A unique photographic series captures the grief and hardship endured by widows who lost their partners to asbestos related diseases.

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A unique photographic series captures the grief and hardship endured by widows who lost their partners to asbestos related diseases.

The intimate portraits of fourteen widows, united by their loss, suffering and survival are the work of Sydney photographer Chris Ireland who set out to highlight the impacts of asbestos and its related illnesses.

The photographic project entitled ‘Breathe’ was significant for Ireland who became aware of the deadly impacts of asbestos related diseases; mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer and asbestoses in his mid teens.

“A friend lost his father to mesothelioma and it struck me at the time as being significant because people would say, ‘Rally on mate, it’s okay, he’ll pull though’,” Ireland recollects.

“But I learnt at that stage that mesothelioma was the type of cancer you don’t get cured from. And that’s what makes this a significant project, a significant topic, a significant cancer.”

An incurable cancer

Nearly a decade later, Ireland embarked on an artistic project that would take him into the homes of widows and families who had lost loved ones to asbestos related diseases.

His process was as intricate as the images he produced and Ireland took care to befriend the women who were to become his subjects, to gain their trust and a thorough understanding of their experience with asbestos.

“I’ve formulated a picture of the husband through the anecdotes given through the wives and that’s important for the project, to be able to get a sense of who that man was and what that man meant in the woman’s life.”

Nur Alam lost her husband Mohammad Bashir Alam in 2002 and features in Ireland’s portrait series. A writer and a poet, she volunteered to have her portrait taken, thinking it might help others.

Willing subjects

“My husband probably died very quickly, it was seven weeks between when he had a collapsed lung and they thought he had mesothelioma to when he died,” she told SBS News.

“We didn’t even get used to the idea of him dying, the whole family took a long time to come to grips with that.”

Karen Banton, the wife of prominent campaigner for asbestos victims Bernie Banton also features in Ireland’s photographs.

“Karen often says she never had time to deal with Bernie’s death because it was so public and I think this is a side of Karen people aren’t used to seeing,” Ireland says of his subject.

Whilst the series is an exploration of death, loss and grief, its overall message is not all grim. By focusing on the women who remain, ‘Breathe’ also explores hope through the resolve of the women left behind to move on with their lives.

“My comment is not that this is a disaster and we should feel hopeless about it, it is that these ladies have gone through pain, they deserve to be heard and other people should avoid the same process.”

The 'Breathe' series has been exhibited at the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney, and will be at the Latrobe Regional Gallery in Victory from September 5 to October 4. 

 

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