On the 10th of July, 2019, my father died. The funeral was a state affair and I was present, although most of the people who knew him didn’t know who I was until then. I was unable to pay my last respects in the form of a eulogy, though I wouldn’t have known what to say at the time. 

“to the unknown” is a eulogy to a man I didn’t know well, but who left a space in my life that became apparent after. The open letter originally took the form of a diary, consisting of 4x6 prints, handwritten annotations and collages. “to the unknown.” is a recreation of this diary.

The book consists of portraits, handwritten texts and collages taken from the diary, and tells the story of those around me who taught me the lessons throughout my life that would have otherwise been for a traditional "father figure"; those who taught me to be a husband, a brother, a son, and present in the lives of the next generation of my family.

Grieving is an unfortunate part of the human condition; one that most of us will go through at some point in our lives. Despite it being such a common experience, and with the litany of books and films to see us through the process of loss, little is said about the experience of losing a distant parent, and  the complexity of the regret that can follow. In the time since his passing I've found various ways to process his loss, and this diary marked the closing of that chapter in my life. 

And a final goodbye, 

to the unknown.