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a celebration of beauty, chemistry
and personal history

 

 

  
 
 
oxytocin

 
The Women of
Pietre Preziose

My father's grandparents were born in Sicily. His father, though born in the US, grew up in Altofonte, a small town on the outskirts of Palermo, until he emigrated to NYC. I grew up in an Italian-American household, with a heavy leaning towards the American. Most of those who know me would say I am a well-educated, science-minded, individualistic feminist. I'm also the mother of two girls.

Since marrying a Sicilian in 2000, I’ve been spending a significant amount of time in Sicily with my in-laws during the summer months. It’s a rich yet often frustrating experience for me on many levels. With two small children that need me incessantly in a culture that is confusing, inefficient, chauvinistic and overbearing, I often feel like I can’t move - like a rock. Yet – to my children, I am precious, irreplaceable, seemingly luminous. It’s a complicated combination. I have to be still to watch them play nearby, still as I wait for them to wake from a nap, still while they sit on my lap, or still while I simply don’t have anywhere else to go because the schedule dictates it. I feel like a rock.

Yet this rock has feelings, anxieties, and emotional swings. I’m a hormone factory – chock full of the most incredible substances on the planet that control social interaction, trust, confidence, creativity, and contentment. Precious liquids living inside my rock solid presence. This I share with all the women around me.

The 12 recipients in this project have very different ages, professions, and attitudes. Yet all connect me to a world that is still hard for me to penetrate (my Italian is unsophisticated). Through them I am able to observe the complexities of human nature and the sheer power of life's force against all odds.

I'm sharing with you the little biographical tidbits I have gathered and intuitted over the last few years. I didn't interview them or research their life stories. I wanted a superficial snapshot of their lives - In the way that a gemstone catches the light for just a moment to catch your eye.

 
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Flavia.
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Luciana.
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Francesa Z.
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Francesca T.
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recip2Cettina.
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Maria.
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Enza.
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Simona.
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Mimma.
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Giovanna.
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Rosa.
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Teresa.
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