Asymmetrical Despondency

Multimedia Installation, Ceramic Vessels and Video, 2018

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In this installation, lips tell muted stories, and closed jars muffle the sounds in a symmetrical environment. In the wake of the concurrent immigration issues in the United States and the Middle East, the artist portrays the labors of individual women passing through turmoil: two languages, two countries, two cultures, but the same circumstances for women.  The artist recites a poem in her “home” languages, her home of origin, and her adopted home.  However, the words can only be heard if the jars’ lids are removed.  Does language change the context or the essence of a message?  Do words matter if they are not heard, not understood?  Can words overcome imposed geographical barriers which alienate nations so the voices that speak humanity are heard?