ARTIST STATEMENT

I draw upon the stories of people who have experienced nostalgia to identify a sense of belonging to home. I create familiar objects specific to the stories of diasporic peoples to establish a connection between myself and the viewer or wearer, even when I am not present.

In my practice, I address the following questions: Can jewelry build networks of connection across time and space? How does the format of jewelry impact the relationship between the wearer and the object? Can I project a feeling of nostalgia to help people process disconnection from home? I anticipate changes in behavior and attitude from the wearers as they reestablish a connection to home through jewelry.

I conducted a series of interviews with people who are studying abroad and dislocated from their homes, with the goal of creating jewelry from the individual stories that I heard. The questions I asked aimed to understand how they define belonging. I asked them to describe significant objects they brought with them, objects that carried sentimental value and little practical use, ones that captured significant, intangible moments, and as such helped their owner cope with homesickness. These familiar objects captured significant, intangible moments, and as such they helped their owners cope with homesickness.

I consider myself not just a translator of these stories, but also a facilitator in helping people process the emotional challenges arising from current circumstances affecting them. This body of work manifests the security blankets of my interview subjects, representing, for them, an attachment to home.