“Uprooted II: An ode to the 1.5 generation” is part of my continued inquiry into the nuanced morphing identities of first and second generation immigrants. 

 

I belong to the 1.5 generation: immigrant children who were uprooted as young teens from their birthplace and taken to a new land. Coming of age in a new culture, we adapt easily, yet we don’t forget. We are caught in between identities—in between cultures, disoriented, searching, never feeling grounded.

 

Jackson Heights is home to a large population of immigrants. “Uprooted II” is my homage to immigrant children—the curious ones who were swept along in their parent’s journey, while embarking on their own.

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This photographic installation will consist of 50 unique cyanotypes of tree roots on round coffee filters. Cyanotype is a 19th century photographic process that results in one-of-a-kind Prussian-blue prints. The prints will be hung at eye level and spaced apart just enough to allow community members to walk through and examine the images closely while contemplating the nature of being uprooted. These unique root cyanotypes reference the diversity and singularity of immigrants and their connection to the past, along with ideas of displacement, fragility and complexity. The installation might feel disorienting to some and captivating to others, both feelings which represent aspects of the journey of the 1.5 generation.