What aspects of the Immigrant experience contribute to the fear of expressing oneself, leading to self-censorship?
The immigrant experience in New York is not only one of opportunity, but also one marked by unexpectedness, frustrations, disappointments, and challenges in making meaningful connections and fully assimilating. This immersive installation hopes to provide a platform for the multifaceted immigrant experience, encapsulating both the transient struggles and enduring triumphs. Through intimate interviews with nine individuals, it endeavours to capture their memories and their journey to evoke and simulate the feelings of being an outsider.
The design was implemented in P5.js (Javascript). Participants could use a barcode scanner to scan the selected ID card of the immigrant whose story they wished to hear. Upon doing so at the first kiosk stand, the participant would listen to the first part of a three-part interview, edited in Premiere Pro. To foster a collaborative social moment at the end of the experience, an "AS AN IMMIGRANT I..." prompt wall was created for individuals to contribute to or leave feedback about the piece. Illustrator and Canva were used to create the visuals and touchpoints. The kiosk stands were equipped with hardware such as iPads, Bluetooth headphones, and barcode scanners.
An ID Card Printer was used to create the IDs, while Figma was used to create stickers. The organisation of information was managed in Excel.
New York is a melting pot for the world with some of the most unique immigrant experiences. Inspired by the city and my immigrant journey, the research for my project began with multiple conversations, where I started to find similarities with other immigrants. My research was largely shaped by qualitative research, where I interviewed and spoke with fellow immigrants about their journey and experiences post-relocation. Each interview influenced aspects of the form when designing my thesis experience. Similarities of perception of time, finding community, and difficulties with language brought out technical aspects that I wanted to incorporate into my experience.
Interviewed:
Lilian Giacoma - An immigration lawyer
Meg Smithson: Immigrant Social worker
Vani Subramaniam: Documentary film maker
Surojit Sircar: Multimedia Artist
Books read:
How does it feel to be a problem? By Moustafa Bayoumi
Girl in translation By Jean Kwok
Lower East Side Oral histories By Howes and Ferrra
Definitions:
Immigrant: A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.