AMYOB

- a lil excerpt -

It’s always the aunties instigating, but where does it really go back to?

The desi experience of a first generation born south asian diaspora comes with it’s own challenges. Although I was aware of my individuality, it never felt sufficient. There are many obstacles you come across as you grow accustomed to a new life that is still foreign to your family as the first generation, but you learn to teach yourself. One thing you do not learn to teach yourself, is finding your identity. These are a few projects I created in liu of these feelings.

Social media plays a big role in the works of being one from the first generation of diaspora. You discover communities that grow from the same experiences and share them in a light that brings comfort. The feeling returns to embrace your culture to find there’s many ways people have discovered to integrate their identities into one such as fashion, memes, art, books etc. You are then able to rebuild yourself and find your presence pulled out of the empty absent feeling.

The following items are my interpretations of my discovery of embracing my culture from influence of the ways people have discovered to integrate their identities into one such as fashion, memes, art, books etc.

You can rebuild yourself and find your presence pulled out of the empty absent feeling.

In the following works, I have made a collection of memes illustrated them into a comic, drawing inspiration from a community that has helped me embrace my culture through our similar shared experiences.

AMYOB…further

Following in my theme of Presence of Absence and chosenword of community, I’ve decided touse textile and take an attempt at sewing. I’m a complete beginner when it comes to sewing but I wanted to try something new. My idea was to push the idea of the first generation diaspora in anew direction within the realm of community. Identitywas something that many of us struggledwith finding a balance between western culture andour own roots. In the last project I created alittle comic after memes made from our new found communityof struggles we all experience inlight of humour. This time I created an article ofclothing. I got the material from my mom's old saree and repurpose it into a western fashion, in that way tying traditional material as a way of balancing the new identity. I specifically chose todo a crop top, something with skin as it is seenas a taboo in our culture. The same time, much ofour own cultural clothing has “exposed”assets of the skin but it is embraced such as midriffsand sleeveless articles of clothing.

In south asian culture, there’s an unfortunate stigma followed for not re-wearing an outfit too soon. Since the styles are so intricate, women tend not to wear their cultural clothes the same time soon and there’s always a demand for more. I thought I would take this opportunity to repurpose these sarees in the closet that don’t get a chance to see another day of light, and transform it into my westernized wardrobe. Since rewearing fits are not perpetuated the same way in western culture, I can create a piece that can go with different styles.