there's a place i want to take you

Within this book of cloth cyanotypes, I’ve created a map of my experience of black girlhood, and these pages serve as a bridge to my present experience.

Within this book of cloth cyanotypes, I’ve created a map of my experience of black girlhood, and these pages serve as a bridge to my present experience. You’ll find journal entries from the 5th grade, family scrapbook photographs, passing thoughts, music lyrics, and images I’ve taken between 2014 and 2019. I wanted to re-contextualize these artifacts by exposing them to light, creating diptychs, inserting text and illustrations, and binding the timeline with thread. There isn’t a lot of space for dreaming in an oppressive world, so I use photography as a tool to create a space where I can freely navigate the various facets of my life experience and identity.

My tendency to get lost in dreams stems from the hardship I’ve faced. I’ve leaned into daydreaming as a form of escapism ever since I was a child. Into adolescence, my mental health suffered as I began to see life through a fog, and this was compounded by racism I faced and witnessed in the world.

Presently, I still find myself retreating to my inner world for solace as I navigate through adulthood in this society. However, instead of imagining an idealized character to serve as me, I’m now at the center of these dreams in my own form. I no longer compartmentalize my emotions, create a facade of strength, or suppress my own voice. I gained the tools to view myself and my experiences with clearer vision through the help of therapy, and I’ve only just begun imagining what I want my life to look like from here on out. I dream of traveling, experiencing romantic love, getting hired for work that I love after graduation, being able to afford to live comfortably, strengthening my friendships, taking care of my family, and feeling content about it all. I dream of a world where the right to dream and to see those dreams come into fruition is ensured to all black people.