Books
Prove your love
When I met Philippe and felt in love with him, he was staying illegally in Switzerland. He had applied for asylum but been refused. From the very beginning of our relationship, we had a conflict over photography. I thought he was very handsome and had a strong desire to photograph him. He, on the other hand, wanted total control over any pictures taken of him because of his insecure living situation. He was also very concerned with how people in his culture were shown in photographs.
I travelled a lot during that time. He couldn't go with me as he had no papers. When I traveled, we made video calls; I secretly started taking screenshots of our conversations so I would have some pictures of him to keep for myself.
A few months into our relationship, we decided to get married so we could have an orderly life together. It was long and complicated process lasting over two years. The authorities did not believe in our love because he was in the country illegally and needed papers. Marrying me would give him a residence and work permit. During the application process, we were asked by the Swiss Migration Board to present photo evidence that we were a loving couple.
Suddenly, my secretly taken photos had an important purpose.