Feb 27, 2014 6:30 AM

Gallery: A Portrait of a 40-Year Marriage, Told Through Household Items

Photos by Elena Capra
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The objects in Libro di Famiglia are meant to convey an unspecified impression of the lives of the photographer's parents.
Photos by Elena Capra
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Capra, now living in Berlin, got the idea to shoot the series while planning to do another based on *La Luna e i Falò*, a novel by Cesare Pavese.

Photos by Elena Capra
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The novel was set a short distance from her home town of Asti, in Northwest Italy. "I started with this book, and then shortly I realized that I wanted to search for my own traces," says Capra.
Photos by Elena Capra
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The items are given no contextualizing information, leaving the viewer to gather their own impressions.

Photos by Elena Capra
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"It was really interesting to try to see something that's really close to you, but to see it from the outside. Just to see these things with other eyes."
Photos by Elena Capra
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Even Capra's parents don't necessarily "get" the project. “They see the pictures and say, ‘That’s not beautiful, why did you take a picture of that? You should take a picture of nice things, like a beautiful landscape or beautiful people,’” Capra says.

Photos by Elena Capra
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"I tried to keep a kind of distance from my parents, and I tried to be as much as i could really general and neutral," says Capra. "It’s telling something about their personality."
Photos by Elena Capra
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Capra says that although the subjects of the photos in the series aren't things you would likely notice otherwise, they have an ability to create strong impressions on the viewer.

Photos by Elena Capra
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A picture of Giovanna and Mario was taken in front of a poster of Venice that Capra ordered online and framed.
Photos by Elena Capra
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The previous picture of Venice creates an arc with a photograph from the couple's honeymoon.

Photos by Elena Capra
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Made up of still lifes, portraits, and landscapes, the book traces the day-to-day lives and trappings of Giovanna and Mario Capra, now married for 40 years.
Photos by Elena Capra
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"I’m most interested in things that are not so special, but that are full of meanings," says Capra.

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