On June 15, 2020, my father passed away at the age of 65 from Mantle Cell Lymphoma. The four months preceding his death, I served as his caregiver along with my mother, since around the clock assistance and medicine administration was not possible for one person to handle. As his health deteriorated, the cancer spread to his brain, creating an almost dementia-like effect. To process the loss of my father, these video, sculptural, and augmented reality works serve as both a reflection on precious memories and a way to better understand the process of grief.

Throughout the journey with my father, I documented the experience as a caregiver and posted a daily journal and photograph on Instagram under the name farewell_father. I feel that not much information is given to caretakers as they undertake such a heart wrenching and difficult experience. I aim to illuminate the process of loss, from grief through cremation, by providing a matter of fact and inside perspective on what happens to the body after it expires.

In Memoriam celebrates the life of my father by creating the funeral he couldn’t have due to COVID-19. This work is a nod to my familial history, and the memory of my father, but is also symbolic of the collective grief and trauma our world is going through that motivates an emotive and healing response.