Before You Go

Today is the 10th anniversary of my maternal grandmother's passing. I was in college at the time, rushing down to see her when my mom called me to let me know she had already gone. Despite the language barrier, I had always understood her deep love for us, and it took me a long time to process my regrets and loss. Making this artist book to memorialize her, say the things I wanted to say, and depict our relationship was a big part of that.

Guide: this video has no audio.

I only made two copies of this book, and the structure was a physical manifestation of my search for her—sort of a reverse burial.

details

10" x 10" x 2"

Materials: hand-made papers, English-Chinese dictionary pages, newspaper, printed pages, photographs, Chinese silks, bookmaking board, cheesecloth, watch (or ring, depending on the edition).