Here and/or There
Shaina Suri
There is no sole definition of home for a person living in New York, as countless people move to this city from every part of the world. When we leave our identities behind for a new start, we try forming bridges through objects of personal significance. We accumulate archives of our memories in our camera rolls. These camera rolls provide a perception of proximity and comfort in the ability to see and carry spaces beyond our vicinity.
This project directs attention to the way we experience the ubiquitous medium of photography, with a focus on examining our relationship with the images we create. Our photographs provide an affordance to temporarily travel through spaces and time. This begs the question: Is it possible to be in two places at once?
Here and/or There is an introspection of the duplexity of presence.
Through an installation linked to a web/mobile interaction, the viewer frames an image as a juxtaposition of its current environment. The guided user experience through the structure presents fragments of a familiar scene that comes together as the viewer walks through the space, shifting their perspective. It visually embraces liminality, allowing us to straddle between the worlds we consider to be here and/or there.