This work focuses on two families who share the name Hatcher and live in the same rural community. Their shared name at first glance appears to be a coincidence; but it is in fact a record of ownership originating from enslavement. The project developed through a personal connection to the white Hatcher family, which allowed for sustained access to both families over time. Presently, members of both families have begun to share space, including attending one another’s family gatherings. After emancipation, members of the black Hatcher family were able to purchase farmland in the same community where they continue to farm today. The project considers identity as both imposed and self-determined, shaped by historical conditions and incomplete knowledge of the past, while also being lived and maintained over time. The project moves between portraits, interiors, farmland, and the surrounding landscapes, alongside collages constructed from archival materials drawn from both families. These histories unfold within the same rural landscape, where proximity intensifies their relationship rather than separating them. This project is an attempt to understand how histories of ownership and endurance continue to shape relationships in the present, and how those conditions remain embedded within the landscape of the American South.
