Visage - Iteration #1
Visage - Iteration #1 , Hologram. 2022
Video Directed, Edited, Recorded and animated by: Mo Darwish music Composition by the artist
In the video, faces emerge only to gradually deteriorate and blend into the background until they become unrecognizable. Metaphorically, these faces are tossed into the sea, sinking into the depths. Looking down from above, we see these faces gazing back from the abyss, dissolving, and vanishing into the vast society until they lose all individuality. Eventually, they become mere indistinct figures without any clear definition or identity.
As an immigrant, I have firsthand experience of the numerous challenges faced when trying to integrate into a Western society. These struggles are often overlooked or underestimated, from fitting into a society with different cultural norms to feeling alienated and displaced. Immigrants encounter hardships in pursuing careers and navigating societal structures. The Western society may lack the capacity to empathize with these difficulties most of the times, treating immigrants as equals without giving them space to adjust to cultural shock. This is particularly true for those from vastly different cultures.