Ermina snapping a photo
grid wall
In Home is a collection of 8mm films shot by my beloved and missed Great Aunt and Great Uncle, documenting their lives as New Orleanians and their travels on the shipping boat he was captain of, 1960-1970's.
Additionally, found footage of gay Mardi Gras life in New Orleans between the 60's and 70's is featured and installed by Cas O'Brian.
Room one features a living room set for home movie viewing nostalgia - sofa, coffee table, my family photo album, lamp and television with vcr are playing my personal home movies 1986-1990s. A side wall is set up with two reel to reels playing Cas's found 8mm films.
The second room projects a full wall of my digitized 8mm family videos mapped into a grid, and the next wall is fully lit without a grid, projecting my selected mix of memories.
layout walk through
room two opening night visitors
My Uncle Charlie was the captain of the first American ship to sail into Japan's waters after the Atomic Bomb. Here he is accepting a gift from Japan's ambassador or someone idk. I have the letter of authentication for this doll and personal letter to Charlie from Japan's Embassy. Charlie was a immigrant from Sweden, the man who filmed this interaction was my Grandpaw John. John invited Charlie to stay in our home while they had stopped at a New Orleans port. This is when Charlie met my Great Aunt Ermina, they fell in love and got married, and he moved to New Orleans, similar to his home in Sweden on the waterways.
Watching each small film square float by the digitizer's tiny screen, click, next, click, next...that process required an attention to each frame so as to not harm these delicate wisp's of memories. We were together again, on that sofa, her voice playing over the speakers.