Series description
For over 30 years Patrick has lived in De Vallei, ‘The Valley,’ a long-term psychiatric ward for chronic psychosis in the Belgian countryside. He walks in the woods, and since 2024 Rossa has followed him, sometimes bringing her camera, as a gesture to say ‘we are here.’ Each image grew from their time together, which she describes as ‘sharing shadows, grief, light and flowers.’ When he asked Rossa if he was still human, she said: ‘you are the most human person I have met.’
In the Valley, Flowers Remain
Conversations with Patrick at The Pond, near the ward.
© Laura Anna Rossa, Belgium, Shortlist, Student Competition, Together, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
In the Valley, Flowers Remain
On a spring morning, Patrick taught Rossa to dance beneath a canopy of trees, near the chapel of Jesus. They sang ‘La Solitudine’ by Laura Pausini, a song about being lonely together.
© Laura Anna Rossa, Belgium, Shortlist, Student Competition, Together, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
In the Valley, Flowers Remain
Patrick (left) and another resident, K., walk together to the small supermarket near De Vallei. The sky is heavy and the cold settles in. K. holds onto Patrick’s arm and says softly ‘he is a little cold, as we all are.’ Patrick answers ‘one feels the cold on the skin, another carries it within.’ Moments like this shape everyday life in the ward.
© Laura Anna Rossa, Belgium, Shortlist, Student Competition, Together, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
In the Valley, Flowers Remain
A portrait of Patrick (59). He knows the names of wildflowers, stamps his feet to call the rain, and says ‘sometimes I play God.’ He speaks with anger about the pills he takes because ‘a king does not take pills.’ Rossa followed him ‘from answer to question, from silence to wisdom,’ learning that strength and vulnerability live side by side.
© Laura Anna Rossa, Belgium, Shortlist, Student Competition, Together, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
In the Valley, Flowers Remain
During an evening walk, Patrick and the photographer passed the greenhouse near the ward. The sun was setting, turning the plastic walls into a glowing screen. They stopped for a while, letting Patrick’s shadow move across the surface. Patrick played with the light, and the picture grew out of that small shared moment.
© Laura Anna Rossa, Belgium, Shortlist, Student Competition, Together, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
In the Valley, Flowers Remain
On a sunny winter day, Patrick and the photographer stopped in the forest and lay down in the grass. Patrick spoke about his brother, gone for many years, and the pain that has stayed with him. When they walked on, the photographer asked where the sheep were; ‘where it’s sensitive,’ he answered.
© Laura Anna Rossa, Belgium, Shortlist, Student Competition, Together, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
In the Valley, Flowers Remain
Two donkeys live close to the ward. Patrick always stops to greet Herman. He told Rossa he once saved Herman, when he was stuck under a fence; ‘he remembers’ Patrick said, stroking the donkey’s nose.
© Laura Anna Rossa, Belgium, Shortlist, Student Competition, Together, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
In the Valley, Flowers Remain
Before their walk, Patrick takes his midday medication. He looks in the mirror and greets himself: ‘I am a man made of steel and rubber’. He points to the back of his head, where he often tells her that ‘seven bullets still remain’. As they walk, they talk about kings, and how everyone might once have been a tree. “How long have you been here?” Rossa asks. ‘Thirty-five years’ he answers. Silence follows. Then he laughs quietly: ‘But I am still a bit human, right?’
© Laura Anna Rossa, Belgium, Shortlist, Student Competition, Together, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards