Together Apart

“Together Apart” is a video featuring a singular body alternating between receiving and removing garlands of flowers from her shoulders. Garlands are tokens of love and blessings to either welcome or bid farewell. The most common concept of a garland is a wreath of flowers presented to a person upon arriving or leaving—they are placed over the head and onto the shoulders of a traveler by their loved ones. As such, the action performs the gratitude or regret bore through the transition. In “Together Apart” the protagonist is solely responsible for this universal ritual of reverence, indicating that through her migrations, she is alone. Multiple journeys are signaled by the receiving of yet another chain of flowers– she struggles to shed herself from them, and their trappings. The presentation of the sea with her body alternates from states of submersion or serves as a backdrop, suggesting her physical and psychological alienation with the location. The ritual concludes with her body fully overwhelmed and obscured by the cascading garlands. While she is physically present, her isolation is absolute. The markings of her identity disappear, leaving her buried under the burden of displacement.

“Together Apart” is a personal reflection of my own history as a refugee. With each new country I migrated to, I lost and gained components of myself. With each country I left, there were fewer people to say goodbye to. Which is to say, there was also no one to receive my hello.

Together Apart
Medium: Video Art with sound, ed. 3 + 1AP
Duration: 2 min 10 sec, with sound
Year: 2017