Driver Mum

Driver Mum is a long-term, participatory documentary photography project that explores the everyday realities of Generation Z and Generation Alpha from an empathetic and nuanced perspective. The work originates from a deeply personal background. I became a mother at the age of nineteen, and my own adolescent experiences, marked by uncertainty, neglect, and feeling misunderstood, led me back to the environment of my former secondary school, where I began engaging with today’s teenagers. The project seeks to counter the simplified and often stigmatizing narratives surrounding young people by focusing on their lived experiences. Through sustained relationships, I aim to understand what brings them calm and joy, what aspirations they hold, and how they imagine their future within an increasingly complex social and institutional landscape. The title Driver Mum refers both to my role in transporting the teenagers I photograph and to the car as a central space within the project. The car functions as a transitional, intimate environment, confined yet in motion, where trust, openness, and honest conversations can emerge. Over time, my role has shifted beyond that of an observer. Several participants perceive me as a trusted adult or surrogate maternal figure. As a result, the project has evolved into a strongly participatory documentary practice, shaped collaboratively through ongoing dialogue and shared presence. Responding to the emotional and psychological guardedness characteristic of contemporary adolescence, Driver Mum is grounded in long-term engagement. Relationships developed over several years allow the photographic work to be complemented by personal interviews. These conversations will appear in an accompanying booklet, presented in close dialogue with the images in the final photobook. Beyond individual stories, the project examines broader parent–child dynamics, generational divides, and the structural challenges of Hungary’s state education system, which significantly influence the daily experiences of this generation. Rather than offering judgment, Driver Mum aims to foster understanding, building bridges between generations and making visible a world that often remains closed and misunderstood.