Allie Crewe

"Hope is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all.” – Emily Dickinson

To move forward, we must sometimes let go of who we once were. Hope of renewal must perch in our souls.

Each participant in this project has lived through domestic abuse. These photographs tell their stories—not just of the past they have survived, but of the lives they are rebuilding and the futures they are dreaming of.

Taking a quiet, collaborative approach, this work weaves together storytelling, portraiture, and lived experience into an intimate, survivor-led narrative. Immersing myself in the lives of the women I have photographed, I spend time in their communities and spaces, observing interactions, daily routines, and the atmosphere around them.

Though rooted in trauma, the project values agency, dignity, and personal transformation. It reflects the versions of ourselves shaped by survival, now outgrown.

An ode to the tenuous hold we have on hope, this work sings a tune—even when we do not yet know the words.

Begun during an artist residency with SafeLives, in people’s homes and personal spaces. 

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