A conversation between Jewish Museum London & Manon Ouimet, photographer & convert to Judaism
Museum: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your Jewish identity?
Ouimet: I was baptised as a baby and grew up in Southwest London as an only child. I longed for the large Canadian family that my dad had and I was always taken by this concept of ritual & tradition that brought family together. I didn’t have any sense of what religion was, why I needed it, and what that type of institution could give to me as a sense of self.
I spent 10 years of my life traveling around the globe, looking for my people. I moved to Australia for 6 years where I started my career in photography. It’s symbolic of the person I am and my personal journey that I spend time studying people and looking at ways photography can connect people– a therapeutic tool to understand ‘the self’ better, whether that’s myself or the person I’m photographing. In Australia I lived in the Eastern suburbs where there’s a sizable Jewish community and I was looked after by many Jewish mothers who fed me well and gave me hugs when I needed it. It was the first time where I felt like there was home, like there was a sense of coming home.
I didn’t realise converting to Judaism was something that I could even do. When I moved back to London I met my Jewish partner, Jacob, and we spent many hours talking about identity and what that might look like for our family, our children.. How would they relate to themselves? I’ve spent so long looking for my true identity and a sense of belonging, and he, as somebody brought up in a culturally Jewish community, is so settled in himself – that sense of self is so great to witness.
My driving force for converting was for the potential of my future family to have this sense of belonging & community. My own journey made me realise how much I needed and wanted this. I’ve been accepted by a community of people that I cherish. Converting during COVID was an extremely interesting time, I spent a year joining weekly online classes and Friday night Shabbat connecting with new people talking about spirituality, the way of the world, how to adapt the scripture to our modern life, and how to find hope in really dark times. During that time, I started photographing my journey to deepen my understanding of Judaism.
Selecting an object
Museum: What items have you decided to display that celebrate your conversion?
Ouimet: I was asked to write two essays about my conversion and that got me thinking as a photographer. How could I make something that feels true to who I am and connect others to my experience? My rabbi encouraged my desire to create a photographic essay about what Judaism means to me, like a photographic diary. which eventually became the book, ‘My name is Maya’ a series of images that capture my transition into Judaism.
The second and third objects are the Purim mask, which sits on top of a series of books, and the Purim vest. I made both objects with the question that kept bothering me -As a person who is not born into… has not grown up with the stories…. How do I adopt thousands of years of Jewish history, culture and tradition?
I am symbolically wearing the identity of the Jewish people who have come before me to literally wear the Jewish history I did not have. I used archive images from different Purim parties that span the 1900s & the early 2000s. There are images of Eastern European families and then some of my partner Jacob’s family; his nephew, niece & brother.
It was a really wonderful experience for me to physically collate this sort of family album of Jewish past lives. I could study these images & places and assimilate, to try to find out where I fit within it. I even added an image of me as a child dressed up. I created a new family album that I get to proudly wear as a Jewish person.
Finally, the books that the mask sits on guided me and helped shape my identity as a Jewish person giving me lots to think about and question. The book that really stands out for me is Sarah Hurwitz’s ‘Here All Along’. Hurwitz’s book is about her transformation back into Jewish culture, tradition and identity; revisiting it with fresh eyes as an adult and finding her Jewish identity.
What struck me during my conversion was this ever-evolving development within Judaism to make it your own. I thought the thinking was going to be concrete, like my experience of Christianity – I didn’t understand that there would be liberty to make it my own
I guess it gave me that confidence to understand that you can do anything with a supportive community of people.
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For more information visit: www.manonouimet.com
To purchase My Name is Maya items visit: www.manonouimet.com/shop
Winner of the British Photography Awards 2021 |
Feature Shoot Emerging Photography Award 2021
