tethered
tethered is my ode to falling down when growing up. The project is a reconciliation with the past in the context of a new lens, an affirmation to my former self for all that she conquered; a reminder to my future self to unceasingly honor her progress; a love letter to the infinite me, sincerely from the present.
I pay homage to the growing pains I’ve experienced in my early 20s, to the moments seemingly consumed by darkness, to all the intricacies of living that transformed my existence from survival into aliveness.
It is in the way nature moves, tides that swell and fade, clouds that form and dissipate that become the marker surrounding me as the ebb and flow of life, the keeper of my past, the root that grounds me to the present and the emblem of time yet to happen.
Here’s to the strides forwards and even to falling backwards, to the coexistence of pain and hope that tethers us to the versions of ourselves we used to be and to the versions that we are becoming.
BETWEEN THE DISTANCE
Having studied in the United States from a young age, the time I have spent with my family has always been scarce. The physical distance exacerbated my feelings of being alien from them, something that I had felt since I was a little girl. During the time of the pandemic, I took the opportunity to understand the individual members of my family as well as our dynamics through capturing moments in our daily lives. The writing I use to accompany these pictures act as a self-portrait and the feelings I carry towards home and home life. Moreover, I used runway ml to generate the backdrop for the writing, using quotes in which my family has described me. Growing up, I had adopted the mentality that things are better left unsaid, and emotions, better left unseen. The writing simultaneously exudes the emotional barrier that we hide from each other, an almost contradictory layer to the photographs that present a functional family. Through this project, I convey my perception of my family by exposing the emotions underneath the surface.
after dark
This documentary series shot on film is my exploration of New York after dark. Venturing to various neighborhoods, I aimed to capture the elements that only breathed at night, the dichotomy in the unusual silence that exists only after dark and the nightcrawlers that live within it.
