Project 50 is a series of portraits and interviews that examine what it’s like to be a woman at 50.
The faces of the women in these photos have not been retouched.
Please click on individual photos to read more about what 50 is like for each of these women.
Artist Statement:
As soon as I turned 49, I started to see my 50th birthday approaching and shining like a beacon of late-midlife up ahead. As I moved closer to it, and tried to mentally prepare for what was already starting to feel like a milestone, I kept seeing articles and images of women my age, famous ones, appearing substantially younger than their years, and substantially younger than me. Women with unlimited resources, time and energy to dedicate to their outsides kept popping up on the pages of magazines, social media posts and my computer screen, and all seemed to be being praised for “defying the hands of time”, and “redefining 50.” I suspect the articles and images were intended to empower me but they had the opposite effect. The message I received from them was not that 50 is beautiful, powerful or strong but, rather that, to be worthy of admiration at 50, one needed to definitely not look 50.
When I turned 50, I felt compelled to put something into the world that could serve as an antidote to that experience, to share what feels (to me, at least) like a more accurate portrayal of women at 50, and to celebrate them/us not in spite of their/our age but because of it.
Project 50 was shot at House of Common Studio in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on December 8, 2022.
This trailer can also be seen and shared here, on Vimeo.
Project 50 was made by Nadyne Kasta
with House of Common Studio
Participants:
Carole Brown
Natalie Fraser
Marisa Gallemit
Nadyne Kasta
Manon St-Jules
Amy Thompson
Photography + Videography: Rémi Thériault (House of Common Studio)
Assistant + Photo Retouching: Maryn Devine (House of Common Studio)
Post-Production Advisor: Matthew Delaney (Splitpro Productions)
Makeup: Yelena Perunov
Art Direction, Styling + Video Editing: Nadyne Kasta