"Seeking one's own presence"

"Seeking one's own presence" was part of the Community Collaborative Project. This project takes place in Bamutia village, which is located near the India-Bangladesh border and where the settlement is not yet fully concreted. Tin, mud, and bamboo houses still stand in pride of place, and such is the simple way of life.

We speak to the villagers in various parts of the project to learn about their past, specifically the history of Bangladesh and what they are experiencing right now, as well as a description of the houses and the surrounding area. Our house, which we refer to as home, is a representation of our collective memory and a composition with 360 degrees that is frequently indistinguishable from its surroundings. I visited every residence in the village to take pictures of the items in front of me for this piece, and by erasing only the background, I imparted the experience that what is constantly in front of our eyes can change slightly to become unrecognizable.

 The entire village was then shown each image, and as they repeatedly tried to recognize and locate their own homes, their reactions were filmed and recorded. In order to get everyone's reaction, I also ask them to engage with the image by writing and drawing.