Approach 1- ElizaB

Walk in My Shoes: An Installation

Visuals

Background

The idea behind this art installation is to give voice to a specific group of minority in our culture. My goal is to bring light to the lifestyles and philosophies of second-generation Asian Americans whose lives are not as simple as they seem. In fact, it is a wide known fact that Asian American families expect more from their children. This has caused many second-generation Asian Americans to develop hard lifestyles in which they are pushed to do everything they can to become successful (have stability and wealth). In my own path to college, I’ve often felt highly discouraged and incredibly overwhelmed by being surrounded by people who have opportunities directly handed to them, while I had to suffer through different levels of experiences to be able to just touch the same opportunities. With the pressure of becoming successful in order to be able to repay my family for the sacrifices they have had to make in order for me to have to the opportunities I have now and also prove to my parents that their sacrifices weren’t for not, it can be overwhelming to be in a world where I am at a different level than  (what seems like) everyone else on campus.

Explanation

I would like to produce a crowdsourced art installation (a many-to-many strategy) using visual documentation such as photos of everyday life coupled with a recorded response to these questions:

1. what is the meaning of success?

2. what was the hardest part of transitioning to life in America?

3. what was the biggest sacrifice your parents had to make in order for you to be here?

The product of this project would be large-sized visual presentations of images presented with the text. Individual collections of photos with corresponding text would be placed across campus. Using the skills learned in New Media, I would be able to create a multimedia work of art that would carry out the purpose of my project.

Credits

Personal motivation – Family history

Inspiring publications https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4wbj9m/the-not-quite-american-feeling-of-being-a-15-generation-immigrant

“We learned English and managed to assimilate quicker than our parents, but we’ve never quite fit in with the Americans at school.”

“For example, I watch how I dress and drive in America carefully, so I don’t get accused of being an Asian stereotype, but to please my parents, I got good grades and went to a great university. I think subconsciously I was raised to be more attracted to Chinese men, too.”

“I remember when I was getting picked on in grade school, I couldn’t explain the cultural differences to my mom and dad because my Chinese vocabulary is limited, and I couldn’t use English to communicate these kinds of abstract concepts either because of [the English] language barrier.”

“It’s a glass half-full or half-empty situation. Being a 1.5 generation immigrant means that you can either choose to be an outsider everywhere, or you can decide to fit in with multiple groups and learn to rotate in and out.”

https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-01-24/taiwanese-immigrant-s-first-days-america-were-about-getting

“But when your dad and I came to the US, from the very beginning we didn’t get any support. So you start to think. Sometimes I say, “Forget it. I don’t need to go out to eat.” Because I want to save money for the future.”

“In general, coming to America, we have no regrets. We really had a great opportunity. A lot of people get depressed. People we knew in college and graduate school really went crazy. They couldn’t finish in school. They got lonely. A lot of money problems. But, I think, if you can’t survive during the process you shouldn’t have come. So you really need to know, if you can’t do something you need to give up some things. Like your dad and I gave up some things, right? We gave up a lot.”

“… we really relied on ourselves. When we got here we didn’t bother anyone for help. We didn’t say, “Give me money every month.” Some people do this — it happens in Taiwan. They say, “I’m the brother, I’ll take care of the younger one.””

“We didn’t get scholarships, but we came and worked. So as soon as I got off the plane, I started working. I went to the laundromat and worked. We just started working.”

Budget:

Labor costs:

4 weeks time to gather information from various contributors

3 weeks time to print various texts & photos, including framing the photos and texts into a space

1-2 weeks time to activate the installation- including the time to find specific locations to install the works

$100-150 (Estimated total cost of printing services + framing & hanging materials)