Stories of my Father, 2022

acrylic and embroidery on fabric
48 x 83 inch

In 1977, my father began a five year journey in Monrovia, Liberia, that would constitute a monumental change in the direction of his life. It was an experience that he would often narrate to me as a child. However, as interesting and vibrant as his recollection of that period has always been, the documentation of those memories tell a different story: only two deteriorating photographs remain in his possession.

In response, I began to question the relationship between memories and their visualisation and documentation. Memories are elusive and intangible presentifications of the past whose documentation allow for them to continue to exist and have a physical presence. However, if this documentation and representation is fading and disappearing, how would one continue to preserve a memory?

I hence recorded my father re-narrating his experiences and transcribed the sound waves as a way of re-documenting his memories and writing his story.