Working Proposal

In the book Afro Creole by Richard Burton;  the author describes the yard (land) space as an “institution capable of binding together nuclear family units and an extended family network in a single social space and physical space…The yard is an extension of the house, just as the house is the living core of the yard; the outer limits of the yard came to represent the outer walls of the house itself”…land is to be handed down to children and children’s children, till every generation “dead out” …family land is the spatial dimension of the family line, reflecting its continuity and identity”. It is from this point that my investigation begins, questioning the consequences that result when the family unit experiences fragmentation through the process of immigration. What happens when your cultural identity is intrinsically tied to the home? What happens when that home disappears?

            After emigrating 5 years ago, I slowly realized how land played an integral role in the warp and weft of my familial narrative; it wasn’t until the discovery of destroyed family photographs that the analysis of this rupture and its impact on my family structure became pertinent in my investigation. Using the water damaged photographs as a point of departure; through experimentation and exploration I will attempt to re-assemble these misplaced parts to reconstitute a new plane. Using collage, the pieces created thus far resemble geological features but become more as they stand in as representations of my family members. Working with the family as the central subject matter, I am exploring how this cultural mindset could be transferred to an imaginary landscape where the human form and the territory are unable to be fractured.