Photo project: what the bedside tables of chronic patients tell about

One photographer asked a simple question to people who suffer from chronic diseases: "What do your bedside tables say about you?" This is how The Nightstand Collective photo project turned out, in which Emma Jones, a photographer, writer and producer from Washington, publishes photos of bedside tables on condition of anonymity and shows what it's like to live with a chronic disease.

A series of pictures is a way for chronic patients to be in touch with each other and an incentive to share their experiences. Sometimes severe symptoms of the disease require bed rest. Bedside tables turn into personal spaces where patients store vital items.

The site is filled exclusively with photos sent by representatives of the community of chronic patients. The only rule of Emma Jones is that participants cannot change anything on their nightstands before taking a photo. She wants to get to the bottom of the raw, raw experience of chronic illness.

In the caption to each of the pictures there is a disease and a list of everything that is on the bedside table. The result is a collection of personal stories and a look at how chronic illness affects the lives of participants in the photo project.

The source of inspiration for the photo project was the photographer's own experience of chronic diseases, including endometriosis, asthma, autoimmune thyroiditis, depression and anxiety disorder. Emma Jones had to spend a lot of time in bed, which quickly isolated her from active life.

The photographer's own bedside table is usually littered with napkins, books, notebooks, sanitary and hygienic items and other medical items. She fills the nightstand with necessities and comforts, turning it into the most personal corner in the house.

By posting pictures of bedside tables, which often contain things that patients need for survival, Jones hopes to present a more complete picture of life in conditions of chronic disease.