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A young girl stands on the ruin of an Armenian church in Diyarbakir, Turkey. A significant Armenian community once flourished in this southeastern city.
• Cook notes in her artist statement that her work is focused on “exploring the remains and traces of an ambiguous, dark history.” How does this photo graph give us a glimpse into a particular community and history through its remains and traces? What clues lead you to these conclusions?
• Why do you think the photographer chose to include a lone child in this image? What might she be suggesting?
• What loss is being captured in this photograph?
• Diyarbakir, a city in southeastern Turkey, was once home to a thriving Armenian community, and ruins from that time remain. What role do sites of memory, such as the ruins of this church, play in our understanding of a past that appears to have been forgotten?