MA Scholarship Project: Lily Spence-Fletcher
Master of Arts Photography
Domain: Identity and Culture
Project #7: Marmalade
Lily Spence-Fletcher's explorative project Marmalade delved into the bittersweet journey of grief and preservation of memory following the death of her grandmother 'Dan'. As a pivotal figure in her childhood, her grandmother’s passing marked the abrupt end of an era, profoundly shaping her experience of adulthood. Through Marmalade, Lily navigated the complexities of longing for childhood comforts and her grandmother through an immersion into ancestral traditions and nature stemming from our Celtic heritage.
"The title Marmalade was a multilayered contextual name for the project. On the surface it spoke to the bittersweetness of grief, the memories of childhood offer sweetness however now that Dan has passed there will always be the bitter taste of grief when looking back. On a more personal connection to the title Dan would always try to make me love marmalade as it was something she adored. Her love and nurture of me was exemplified by how she wanted me to enjoy the things she enjoyed. Now, while I still dislike marmalade in general I would give anything to taste the marmalade she made."
"A key theme throughout the book and exhibition was the connection to nature. Throughout my childhood I remember Dan would always look to nature when needing to clear her head, or to feel peace. She taught me the importance of nature and the cycle of life. She always had a natural therapy for anything. Throughout my book nature marks a key role as a reflection of the grief that I feel and how it changes from fond remembrance, to strong and difficult grief and then back to remembrance but with a different tone."
"Throughout the project I had the amazing opportunity to work with 2 mentors; Ann Shelton and Odette England. I believe this mentor program was an integral part to the strength of the outcome of my project. I was able to gain valuable insight from an external viewpoint and also learn more about the process of photobook creation from two current artists."
The project predominantly employed film, digital and archival photographs and letters. Additionally, the use of the ancient Celtic language 'Ogham' throughout the book was a key symbol of the desire to communicate to her grandmother. Marmalade was exhibited at the Montsalvat Artist Community in the Long Gallery throughout June of 2025. Additionally, Marmalade was produced into a paperback A5 book.
Biography
Lily is a Melbourne-based photographer. She plans to continue her work with photobooks while also working as a photographer for film crews and as a sports photographer for the Australian Ice Hockey League. She is also keen to continue using her knowledge of ancient languages within her upcoming projects so she will be completing a course in Ancient Languages within the next few months.