honorable mention
Rachel Nixon canada
title
The Garden of Maggie Victoria
I first learned about Maggie Victoria in 2022 as I dug through family archives. Her face emerged among photos mostly captured by her husband – my great-grandfather Frank – in Lancashire, England. Wanting to revive my great-grandmother’s legacy, I integrated those images, letters and other archival materials with my own nature-oriented photographs made in Vancouver, where I live.
Following a fast-moving illness, Maggie Victoria took her last breath during wartime, aged only 56. As was often the way, Frank quickly re-married, and no one talked about her after that – not even her children. Maggie Victoria’s story was erased for decades, but through the archives I got to know her as a mother, wife, proud gardener and – importantly – a woman.
A keen photographer, Frank made many images of his wife in domestic settings. This series reworks scans of those images with my own photographs tracking the changing seasons, in distant Canada. By adding layers, primarily via digital collage, my goal is to connect with Maggie Victoria, and question the male gaze cementing her role.
This project, from which these five images are drawn, is an attempt to render Maggie Victoria visible, and a call to women to take up space. I have sought to construct new visual narratives from old stories found in our archives. In discussing this project, strangers have shared with me their own familial tale of loss, mystery or secrecy. Anchored in a personal meditation, the series invites us to consider issues of heritage, grief and the passing of time affecting us all.
Having lived and worked across continents and cultures, Rachel explores issues such as a desire for connection with one’s heritage, and with the wider world and environment. In her practice, she also considers themes including secrecy, isolation and memory.
Inspired by the potential of natural forms to offer unexpected perspectives, Rachel employs strategies including abstraction, fragmentation and multiple exposure to bring these to the viewer’s attention. Throughout her work runs a deep appreciation for colour and structure.
In 2019, Rachel graduated with honours from the VanArts professional photography program in Vancouver. Since then, her work has been exhibited internationally and received a number of accolades, including four Julia Margaret Cameron Awards.
Before deciding to switch paths and commit full-time to visual art, Rachel had a successful 20-year career as a journalist and news executive in the UK, US and Canada for organizations including the BBC, CBC and Microsoft where she developed and ran digital news services that reached millions. Her passion for storytelling, love of innovation and experimentation, and drive for excellence now extend to her visual work.
Rachel also brings her editorial and photographic experience to her volunteer role as Editor of WE ARE Magazine, a publication of the Royal Photographic Society’s Women in Photography group.
She holds a first class honours degree from the University of Oxford in Modern Languages and Literature, and is fluent in French and German. Her international experience brings with it a unique perspective on the questions of identity, place and belonging, and the connections we share despite our polarized times.
back to gallery
entry description
The Garden of Maggie Victoria explores memory and female representation through the story of my great-grandmother, forgotten within my family after her premature death in 1943.I first learned about Maggie Victoria in 2022 as I dug through family archives. Her face emerged among photos mostly captured by her husband – my great-grandfather Frank – in Lancashire, England. Wanting to revive my great-grandmother’s legacy, I integrated those images, letters and other archival materials with my own nature-oriented photographs made in Vancouver, where I live.
Following a fast-moving illness, Maggie Victoria took her last breath during wartime, aged only 56. As was often the way, Frank quickly re-married, and no one talked about her after that – not even her children. Maggie Victoria’s story was erased for decades, but through the archives I got to know her as a mother, wife, proud gardener and – importantly – a woman.
A keen photographer, Frank made many images of his wife in domestic settings. This series reworks scans of those images with my own photographs tracking the changing seasons, in distant Canada. By adding layers, primarily via digital collage, my goal is to connect with Maggie Victoria, and question the male gaze cementing her role.
This project, from which these five images are drawn, is an attempt to render Maggie Victoria visible, and a call to women to take up space. I have sought to construct new visual narratives from old stories found in our archives. In discussing this project, strangers have shared with me their own familial tale of loss, mystery or secrecy. Anchored in a personal meditation, the series invites us to consider issues of heritage, grief and the passing of time affecting us all.
about the photographer
Rachel Nixon is a British-Canadian fine art photographer – and former journalist – based in Vancouver, Canada.Having lived and worked across continents and cultures, Rachel explores issues such as a desire for connection with one’s heritage, and with the wider world and environment. In her practice, she also considers themes including secrecy, isolation and memory.
Inspired by the potential of natural forms to offer unexpected perspectives, Rachel employs strategies including abstraction, fragmentation and multiple exposure to bring these to the viewer’s attention. Throughout her work runs a deep appreciation for colour and structure.
In 2019, Rachel graduated with honours from the VanArts professional photography program in Vancouver. Since then, her work has been exhibited internationally and received a number of accolades, including four Julia Margaret Cameron Awards.
Before deciding to switch paths and commit full-time to visual art, Rachel had a successful 20-year career as a journalist and news executive in the UK, US and Canada for organizations including the BBC, CBC and Microsoft where she developed and ran digital news services that reached millions. Her passion for storytelling, love of innovation and experimentation, and drive for excellence now extend to her visual work.
Rachel also brings her editorial and photographic experience to her volunteer role as Editor of WE ARE Magazine, a publication of the Royal Photographic Society’s Women in Photography group.
She holds a first class honours degree from the University of Oxford in Modern Languages and Literature, and is fluent in French and German. Her international experience brings with it a unique perspective on the questions of identity, place and belonging, and the connections we share despite our polarized times.
back to gallery
