Every day, 5,000 Filipinos leave their country in search of work abroad. For decades this movement has been female dominated; more than 70% of Filipino emigrants are currently women. There isn’t a figure for how many leave children behind, but British photographer Caroline Irby grew up in the intimate care of one of these women. In “Someone Else’s Mother”, Caroline tells her story and brings into focus the lives of the children Juning left, carefully interweaving these stories with her own recollections of a childhood spent with their mother. Working with Caroline on this book was a smooth process in close cooperation. Within two visits two our studio we were able to make the final selection of images and choice of book materials.
Schilt Publishing, 2020