Abstract
This is a presentation of a multi-media art piece accompanied by an artist talk. The work addresses my bi-cultural heritage in which I animate and collage yellowing family photos from an old white New England family with those of a family of Japanese immigrants in Hawaii. Themes of colonialism, immigration, hope, war, poverty and wealth intersect in the fate of these two families that had no idea that they would one day in the future cross paths and result in my birth. Both would’ve been horrified at the idea. I take liberties with these old photos and combine people who lived in different places and times in a defiance of the laws of physics to create the mythology to which families cling. Images from sugar plantations, the jazz age, WW2, picture brides and volcanoes collide in this animated collage. The presentation is colorful, lively and thought provoking. These old photos are combined with other photos gleaned from thrift shops and garage sales, as well as my own photos to help me understand who I am in the surreal context of America. I am constructing a narrative of my ancestry that is imagined and fanciful, but it is my own. This is accompanied by an original soundtrack of music intertwining elements from both cultures.
Presenters
Stafford SmithProfessor, Visual and Media Arts, Grand Valley State University, Michigan, United States Ritsu Katsumata
Director of Experience Strategy and Insights, Creative, VMLY&R, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Communications and Linguistic Studies
KEYWORDS
COLONIALISM, FAMILY, HERITAGE, IMMIGRATION, DIASPORA, WAR, PHOTOGRAPHY
