Documentation and film of a death ceremony honoring the 22 years of my sister Lou Onaïssa Souag. 

This documentation is a deeply personal exploration of grief, transformation, and self-discovery. It centers on a death ceremony honoring the 22 years of my sister Lou, who passed away in February. Over the past months, I’ve envisioned shaving my head—a response to the memory of my mother tenderly cutting Lou’s hair before her cremation. In our society, grief is often pushed to the margins, expected to be private, quiet, and brief. I don’t feel like there’s space to grieve openly, to let the enormity of loss reshape us in ways that are visible and unapologetic. In this act of letting go, I found inspiration in the rituals of my Quechua heritage, particularly the ceremonies of hair cutting and braiding.

These ancestral traditions—from newborn blessings to Chiribaya textile art woven with human hair—speak of resilience, care, and transformation. Inspired by these practices, I decided to create my own ceremony—a ritual of rebirth. I felt the need for my external self to reflect my internal state, acknowledging the profound loss I carry, like a lost limb or a missing heart. Moving through the world with a physical appearance that did not mirror my emotional reality became increasingly difficult. Shaving my head became an act of acceptance— a way to honor each year of her life while acknowledging that my own life will never be the same.. It allowed me to immerse myself in grief rather than conform to the expectation of returning to normal. This documentation serves as both a personal archive and a tribute—a deliberate act to record, preserve, and give form to the intangible experience of grief.

This film is an unapologetic assertion that grief deserves space, time, and acknowledgment. It is a rejection of silence and an act of defiance against societal norms that stifle mourning.