Xavier Aaronson introduces us to his “volcanic” granny, Carmela, in this charming photo series

“I like to think of Carmela as a volcano.” Xavier Aaronson tells It’s Nice That. “Most of the time she’s dormant, low in energy and spirit, but on rare occasions, with the help of the camera, she lights up and welcomes some playful antics.” The Copenhagen-based photographer and filmmaker only gets to see his grandmother a few times a year, since she lives in Antwerp, Belgium. But when he visits, he usually spends a few weeks there. After a few days of hanging out together, Xavier admits that things can get a little monotonous: “She can get bored with me, the same way I can get bored with her.” So he began a little experiment to see if it would “spark a small flame” in Volcano-Carmela.

Xavier began taking photographs of his grandmother, capturing everything from the small mundane moments of her daily routine – doing her hair up in rollers or going for a little stroll – to the more mischievous moments, like when she plays with her food at an Italian restaurant or shows off her collection of Maasai spears. “The more photos we take the more joy and levity come out of hibernation”, Xavier says.

The bizarre range of props which pop up throughout the series are “not random”, the photographer tells us. Carmela collected many of these objects from when she lived in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Angola. When Xavier visits they give these artefacts a good “feather-dusting” and he asks Carmela to tell him about them. “This sets her off on a long story and nostalgic trip down memory lane. And sometimes it makes for a fun photograph of her and this object that brings her back good memories.”

Sometimes all the fun and games can get a bit wearisome so Xavier makes sure he gets a little “me-time” to energise himself and “give that good energy (and patience) back to Carmela”. He likes to explore the suburban neighbourhood and often captures photographs of what he sees. In one of these images, moss slowly creeps over the windscreen of an abandoned car. Photographs like these communicate the “subtle feeling of controlled chaos” that runs through the series, Xavier tells us. “A frail and unhealthy 94-year-old lady acting out slightly, but not too much… the wildness of nature taking over a car but in a harmless and cute kind of way.”

Buds for the Ages is a charming example of the potential for photography to unlock the “beauty in slowness and boredom” and forge playful connections between different generations. “At the end of the day, the idea is for people to see these photos, hopefully smile, maybe have a passing thought for their grandparents, and consider giving them a call, if they’re still alive, of course,” says the photographer. “I hope the photos end up coming across like a grandmother appreciation project/CTA. Lol.”

While Volcano-Carmela will now lie dormant again for a little while, Xavier assures us that we can expect some more explosive updates in the future. He’s currently editing a film they made over the course of a week and they’re also planning a road trip from Belgium to Carmela’s motherland of Spain: “Due to her limited mobility and other limitations, she can no longer fly. So road trip it is.”