“Where the Silence Lives” is a quiet journey through the rural and semi-urban corners of North West England – a place where silence is not the absence of sound, but the presence of space.

This land, with its mists, its textures, its quiet rhythms, has become a temporary home for me and my family – a space of pause and reflection after being displaced by war in my home country, Ukraine. Though my family is not all together here, the silence in these photographs sometimes carries the weight of absence, the quiet hope of reunion, and love that stretches across borders.

Created far from home, this series is also a reflection on silence itself – silence in old stone, in shadows falling across simple, almost unnoticed objects. It is an attempt to see and feel silence not as emptiness, but as presence: of light, of shadows, of life. These photographs speak of ordinary things where time, distance, loneliness, and love quietly dwell.

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Since moving to Marple with my children, I’ve been deeply touched by the incredible kindness and support we’ve received from the local community. The people here have shown us so much warmth – it’s something I’ll never forget. One of my hopes with this project is to reflect and share that human side of displacement – the quiet, generous support offered by the British people and the country that welcomed us.

About Tetiana Titkova:

I’m a Ukrainian photographer whose story extends from Ukraine to the UK. My ongoing series, Where the Silence Lives, is a personal reflection on displacement, adaptation, and the quiet process of rebuilding life in a new place. After leaving Ukraine with my children due to the war, we found temporary safety in the North West of England.

Through this project, I explore themes of belonging and what it means to create a sense of home far from home. The work is personal, but I believe many people can relate to it. It’s based on my own experience, but it also speaks to broader themes like migration, identity, and starting over in a new place.

By Tetiana Titkova