prism
/ˈprɪz(ə)m/
noun: a glass or other transparent object in the form of a prism, especially one that is triangular with refracting surfaces at an acute angle with each other and that separates white light into a spectrum of colours.
Every person has multiple layers to their identity: who they say they are, who they think they are, and who they will ultimately decide to be. This is especially true for people who have grown up physically or culturally different from those around them, and those who feel split between their ethnic heritage and their current environment.
As we grow and evolve, we absorb and reflect, rebel and accept, and eventually settle into the true shape of who we are meant to be.
This narrative series aims to spark communication and greater understanding of this shared human experience.
“We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.”
- Pascal Mercier
With today’s rapid increase in technology, artificial borders and economic shifts, thousands of families are asked to redefine the meaning of “home” in virtually every country around the world.
This collaborative project created by Schmoo Theune and Susann Tischendorf addresses the question of what shapes one's identity and how this perception is changing in a globalised world.
There are seven colours in visible light and there are two of us, so we will feature a total of 14 people, each with a heritage of migration. Using documentary photographs, interviews, ephemera, and archival pieces, these stories will illustrate their experiences growing up straddling borders and cultures and the emotional impact of ambiguity.