The Broken Project

The Broken Ones

We are the ‘Broken’ ones. We are your co-workers, fellow students, friends, parents, brothers and sisters, we are even your children. You recognize us because you are one of the ‘broken’ as well.

We all have experience with being broken in some way, at some time in our life. From the loss of a loved one, loss of a career, a relationship that ended badly, early childhood trauma, generational family abuse, injury, or sexual assault. There are countless ways in which we can encounter brokenness.

But, being broken can also be an opportunity. It can be a chance to let go of parts that no longer serve us; an opportunity to explore the space between the pieces and to dive deep into our ‘selves’ for greater understanding of who we are; or it can be an opportunity to mend our entire being, knowing that the scars, though imperceptible to others, still remain.

Perhaps we can take comfort in our resilience and strength to find hope, acknowledging that we are broken, and no matter where our pieces end up, we know that they are part of us, and that they make us whole.

The ‘Broken’ project was photographed in the historic wet plate collodion method using a 120 year old camera and clear glass plates. Glass, like people, can be incredibly resilient, strong, and withstand a great deal of force. But when pressure is applied suddenly, in an unexpected way, it will break. This, perhaps, creates a deeper meaning of wholeness in the mosaic pattern that emerges from the broken pieces. This can also be true for people.

Remember; There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in. ~ Leonard Cohen

Ken Miner

2022