"Whose World Is This" - Episode 1
Whose World Is This: Documenting the Immigrant Experience
As more conversations centered around anti-immigration is on the rise, now is the perfect opportunity to document immigrant narratives for future generations, a pro immigration dialogue. We are tired of others telling our story which is why we should encourage all immigrants AND children of immigrants to take responsibility and document these stories. This initiative is to create a platform which highlights these experiences through global art exhibitions, podcasts, video series, books and more! We want you to send us your art and/or stories! Anything related to the immigrant experience is acceptable and we are open to all forms of art(poetry, music, visual art, etc). This is the perfect time for you to start a conversation with your family members + friends regarding adjusting, reasons for leaving, and more! If you need help in developing questions, email us and we'll send you a few! Send art and/or stories to salvinchahal@gmail.com
"Whose World Is This" - Episode 2
How it Began
In march of 2016, "Whose World Is This" was the first exhibition curated by my brother Simarpreet Singh and I. We reached out to various photographers around the world who were creating important dialogue with their work to take part in our project. We gave a wall to each photographer to display their work, more importantly, the daily world they experience. The themes ranged from dowry, damage language shared among men, unreal pressures South Asian womxn face surrounding marriage, and more. You can find out more about the exhibition here.
To create the conversation regarding documenting immigrant narratives, Simarpreet and I created an installation which allowed the attendees to enter a darkroom which consisted of developed photos and and dark pieces of paper on the walls. Each small piece of paper when turned over, revealed immigration themed accounts we collected from our peers from California to Canada. The experience was meant to demonstrate the fact that these stories are hidden, and it's our responsibility to turn the pages to reveal the crucial testimonies. This installation was primarily inspired by the family and friends we've lost over the years and the stories we would hear about them after they have transitioned. We hope that this initiative will encourage you all to research your history, which I believe begins by asking questions at home.