Year Zero: An Exploration of Audio + Visual Methods of Storytelling
OVERVIEW
Scope: Printmaking, Sound art, Intergenerational story-telling
Sponsor: Senior Independent Project, Wellesley College Art Department
Year Zero (A Visual & Auditory Exploration of Stories from the Khmer Rouge Genocide) is a two-part exploration in alternative methods of biographical storytelling, focused on the Khmer Rouge Genocide and the subsequent Cambodian diaspora. Year Zero reveals the story of a family’s struggle to survive both during and after the war through both visual interpretations of the stories shared by family, as well as recordings of candid conversations through which a family’s history is uncovered.
The project was supported and funded by the Pamela Daniels Fellowship, the Wellesley College Art Department, and Elizabeth Shepherd Studios. The final products were exhibited in several shows, from the Wellesley College Ruhlman Conference, Spring 2016 Senior Art Show, and the 2019 Asian American Heritage SAAMA SAMA show at Shopkeepers DC.
CREATIVE PROCESS
This print series created for Year Zero consists of a set of five palimpsests. The code for each source image was manipulated to include a variety of writings foreign to the original code. The additions include excerpts from the Geneva Conventions, documents to and from the International Rescue Committee, and my own reflections. The additions to the code corrupt the file and result in the ‘glitched’ appearance, which was then manually printed using photo intaglio plates. Excerpts from the code were then screen printed onto its parent image, to infuse these already charged images with more context.
The audio-corollary to the print series consists of 21 audio samples from interviews. All samples were altered to varying degrees, including time stretch, reverb, delay, and low/high pass filters to create an environment meant to reflect my own difficulty in understanding the euphemisms, languages, and emotional complexity of the stories shared. Certain voices and stories to stand out depending on each listener’s language background. Captions weave in and out of the forefront mimicking the audio to assist viewers in understanding if they choose to do so.
INTERVIEWS + RESEARCH
The project phase focused on collecting witness testimonies and documentation around my family’s emigration to their respective countries- France, Canada, Australia, and the United States. Finding participants who were willing to speak was difficult, as many had not previously spoken of the conflict; for some, it was the first time they had been asked about the experiences at all. Many interviews were halted because of the emotionally taxing nature of the subject matter. Sourcing documents from before the war was difficult for similar reasons- and because personal belongings were considered contraband during the regime.
I drew inspiration and guidance from a wide range of sources, including Marianne Hirsch’s work on intergenerational trauma, Susan Sontag’s Regarding the Pain of Others, Steve Reich’s compositions commemorating stories from the Holocaust, and Alfredo Jaar’s work on Darfur.
