This is the first part of the Move On/Get Over It installation.
I. Layered
The starting point of this work is the quintessential symbol of America: the american flag. I wanted this to be the backdrop of all other moving and giving images, as it cleanly expresses the cold, static, but powerful and pervasive presence of patriotism. Onto the flag I am projecting a black and white video, so that all color is coming from the american idea as represented by this symbol of the flag.
The video is in three layers. The first layer is one of wonderment, the initial awe that most immigrants feel when entering the country, or that most second and third generation minorities feel during their youth. It has been easy to see America with childlike wonder. The second layer is that of concern, and attentiveness. Two parents stand on either side of the child still in wonder, looking straight at the world and preparing to protect innocence. They are static - constantly on guard.
The final layer is a reality of the country portrayed through found footage. Videos of the current political and social climate, recent conflicts between corporate america and Native Americans, and police brutality/violent acts against the “others” of the country pile on top of the protective parents drowning out the child in wonderment, while all are still colored by the flag.
Being a minority in America is living a layered experience, one of wonder, constant guard, and violent awareness of the onslaught of horrors committed in our country every day. And each layer will always be tinted by what our original interpretation of the country was, and what it will become.
