Knots

Project Statement/Propuesta

English

Inspired by time spent living and studying in Cuba, Knots surveys coming of age, transcending borders. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is tumultuous and existential, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. As we spread our wings and flex our new muscles, we affirm our humanity and claim who we are. In an ever-evolving world, coming of age takes shape in distinct, beautiful forms. Comprised of work from the past four years, this project places the American adolescent experience in conversation with that of Cuba. The island has suffered a brutal regime of economic sanctions at the hand of the United States for nearly seven decades, which continues to present unique challenges to Cuban youth, students, and other young adults as they mature. Knots seeks to deepen our understanding of this fraught relationship and its impact on the Cuban people—the youth specifically—,to dispel mainstream sensationalist narratives, and to examine parallels of the human experience through photographic inquiry.

Español

Este proyecto se compone de obra de los últimos cuatro años; se pone en conversación la experiencia adolescente norteamericana con la de Cuba. La isla ha sufrido un brutal régimen de sanciones económicas a manos de Estados Unidos durante las últimas siete décadas. Por caso de este bloqueo imperialista, el pueblo cubano se enfrenta con dificultades atroces—aún más para la juventud. Nudos busca no solo problematizar nuestro conocimiento de las relaciones cubana-estadounidenses. Mediante la inquisición fotográfica, Nudos busca problematizar nuestro conocimiento de esta relación tensa y sus consecuencias para el pueblo cubano—sobre todo, los jovenes. Trata de disipar las sensacionalistas narrativas dominantes e investigar a los paralelos endemicos de la experiencia humana.