More than a 3 Sentence Story:
[14 Photos]
This project has two similar, yet different, themes.
The first is denoted by images dipped in black acrylic paint-wash. These prints focus on the fact that Pacific Islander young adults, in this moment, are having our nations washed away by the effects of climate change. While making our way through daily life, we are facing the realities of sea levels reaching our homes, and the chins of our loved ones.
Though similar to the first in the sense that, yes, we face the effects of climate change, the second takes a broader perspective.
The second set images, without black-wash, focus on the variety of situations young Pacific Islanders live in today. Specifically, they are centered on the perspective of our ancestors. The question is: What would our ancestors think if they saw us today?
Unintentionally, I found myself taking photos of my subjects sitting, and I think one possibility of why this was is that when we have to ‘sit’ with something, we reflect. We look inside, and to the past, and to the future. Young Pacific Islanders are processing, learning, and growing; we are agents of change. And although sea levels are rising, so are we.