being seen

Being Seen (2024) records a private performance of rage and grief.

These images were made on November 6, 2024, the day the results of the United States presidential election were certified. Studying abroad in the UK, away from my home country, I felt I had to mourn alone.

I set up a tripod, brought out a speaker, and played the angriest music I could think of. I danced, screamed, and cried, stopping every few seconds to click the shutter on my camera. With one-second-long exposures, and a flash firing multiple times per second, this work is an abstracted, yet indexical documentation of my deepest emotional expression.

This moment was never meant to be seen, yet I felt called to set up my camera anyway. Upon viewing the photos, I was deeply torn on whether or not to share them. This is my compromise.

To view these images is to destroy them. If the book remains closed, the images remain intact; once opened, they begin the process of disappearing forever.

Eventually, when I am ready, I will replace the prints, close the book, delete the scans, and burn the negatives. This book will be all that remains.