To be placed in amongst her additions of found notes, list and poems, the photographer asked her grandparents to generate captions for some of the images in the archive, "much like one would for a traditional family album" she says. Instead of just responding with words alone, the pair began to draw directly on to the images, soaking in new colours that added a "deeply personal" and emotional layer to every scene.
The process of this Today, Tomorrow resonated with Vivian's familial experiences as first generation immigrants "where memories are imbued with both nostalgia and unspoken complexities", she explains. "Emotional nuances are often left unsaid in immigrant households, further emphasising the weight of these visual records."
Having tasked herself with creating a more emotive exploration of static images through a range of media, Vivian aimed to highlight an often forgotten complexity of the immigrant experience, or, in her words, "the delicate balance between holding onto cultural roots and adapting to a new environment".
At its core the project is a tribute to my grandparents journey,' ends Vivian, 'an invitation for others to reflect on the everyday experiences of immigrant families and engage in dialogues that bridge generational divides.
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