My film showcases the oscillating relationship I have with different “homes” in my life, namely in the UK, UAE, and India. I investigate the duality of longing and belonging through collages of video and audio recordings I capture regularly, alongside archival films and images. By giving a glimpse of my own contemplation, the film deconstructs aspects of my sense of identity through a lens of home; wherein “home” encompasses everything from people to places, cultures to legalities, and memories to daydreams.
This film started with karaoke – audio recordings of my family and one that I made recently of a party outside my house at night. This gave me an audio to explore the oscillation between present and past. The sounds was visually stitched together using Loughborough footage and archival videos. Other sounds were added to enhance the environment; e.g., voices of children to suggest a focus on childhood memories. The humming was then added to build out the melancholy and sense of calm before and after this portion as the throughline of the film was to show the tranquility in the Self existing across multiple places at the same time. Later, the narrative was rounded out with a Dubai/home section at the start followed by a faster paced flying/movement scene.
This film was shown at the Loughborough University Degree Show 2024 (14th – 16th June), where it was projected onto crumbled paper that was suspended from a length of rope. The free suspension of thin paper created constant movement, which along with the crumbled texture lent an ephemerality to the film to further amplify the stream of consciousness aesthetic. The material reflected the nature of the films – fleeting and teasing like memories. Lastly, the rope and pegs used for hanging brought a sense of domesticity to the work. Viewers could be seated; however, the back-projection will allow the audience to walk up closer to the screen.
The film was also shown at the Fringe Arts Bath Festival 2024 (25th May – 8th June) on a screen.
