Rematerializing Memory
Co-constructing the Multisensory Memories of Asian Third Culture Kids (TCKs)

JOANNE JOHN

Project Description

Rematerializing Memory is a multisensory installation that explores themes of memory, identity, loss and belonging within Third Culture Kids (TCKs) in Toronto's Asian Diaspora. Third Culture Kids (or Individuals) refer to those who have accompanied their parents to live most, if not all, of their childhoods and developmental years outside of the country from which they hold a passport. Working alongside three participants, the project co-constructs their memories through miniature models that are representative of a specific place or event that remains inaccessible to them, except through memory.

Approaching the project from a position of cultural preservation and reconnection, the project aims to create space for these voices and stories that are often unheard—highlighting these memories, however mundane, as valuable pieces of an individual’s culture and identity. Through these rematerializations, the project invites users to share in their experiences of memory and recollection.