A VR experience exploring the intricate web of generational trauma with objects as symbolic keepsakes carrying the echoes of ancestral pain through time.
Process Photos
Categories: History, Storytelling, Memory
At the heart of my project lies shared stories, and a repression of our collective roots. It is beautiful how cultures overlap, lore merges, and we share the same stories our grandparents told us - stories of witches, battles, and finding home. You can still see the trails of our trauma in our experiences - a wound we carry and pass on to our children, tales of caution - or compromise and resilience through submission.
Studying in New York, a diverse space with people from different parts of the world, I noticed a pattern: assimilation. With Islamophobia lingering even in seemingly inclusive spaces, I found it important to understand the layers of identity, emotion and grief within us.
"As we passed, we saw men brandishing swords laced in blood. We were in a convoy guarded by rangers, so they didn’t hurt us. But the intensity in their eyes stayed with me."
During one of my initial interviews regarding Partition narratives, I connected with Fehmeeda, an 86-year-old embroidery artist residing in Islamabad. Our interaction occurred over Zoom, with me in my New York apartment while she sat in Islamabad, accompanied by her daughter-in-law, who aided her with the technological aspects of our conversation. Fehmeeda, who had experienced the Partition firsthand and migrated from Agra to Lahore over seventy years ago, shared her insights with me.
The Partition of 1947 divided the subcontinent into three countries: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh (1971), following the British rule that lasted 90 years. What started with seemingly innocent trade resulted in mass killing, violence, and destruction spanning four generations as the British hastily left the region, drawing careless borders based on identities and religion. To evade religious violence, forced conversions, and massacres, a mass migration took place, resulting in the largest displacement of people in history. Books and reports show violence from all religions, with systemic rape and brutality against women as a way to ‘purify’ bloodlines. What unfolded in 1947 sends shivers down my spine. While statistics show us the scale of the event, my focus is on the unseen aspects: what they carried and the stories tied to them, threads connecting them to what used to be home.
A fundamental aspect of my project's conceptual framework lies in embracing multiple narratives and recognizing memory as a fluid medium influenced by time and emotions. Rather than seeking factual accounts, my aim has been to capture and document the nuanced emotions such as grief and hope that accompany these memories. It is not a recreation of individual experiences, nor does it aim to simulate grief or represent trauma. While it endeavors to give shape or form to the inherited trauma, it acknowledges the limitations in fully translating such profound feelings.
Saima, hailing from Karachi, carried her mother's shawl; a tangible link to her family's past. Shah held on to what looked like over 10 keys on a large metal keyring. At the time of migration, a few months before the borders were announced, his family moved to Pakistan, locking all their doors behind, in hopes of returning. Shah has never stepped foot in India, his paternal home again. Inspired by works such as Aanchal Malhotra's "Remnants of Partition," I sought to delve deeper into the significance of objects and their associated stories. In addition to looking at these objects, I explored the gendered aspect of war and trauma. Hundreds of women were raped, abducted, and murdered in the name of honor.
The problem I am addressing for this project revolves around the loss of stories, archival history, and generational trauma stemming from this event spanning across the entirety of the subcontinent. However, beyond the geopolitical ramifications, the Partition resulted in harrowing human suffering, trauma, and the loss of countless personal narratives and cultural heritage. Today, as individuals who directly experienced the Partition reach old age, there is a pressing need to preserve their stories and memories before they are lost forever. These individuals possess firsthand accounts of the events surrounding the Partition, including the emotional toll it exacted on them and their families. Their narratives provide invaluable insights into the human experience during this tumultuous period of history.
Furthermore, the trauma of the Partition continues to reverberate through subsequent generations, influencing social and cultural dynamics in South Asia. By documenting and preserving the stories of those who lived through this historic event, we not only honor their experiences but also gain a deeper understanding of the long-term impact of political upheaval and displacement on individuals and societies.
In my work, participatory design emerged as a multifaceted approach. It involved engaging diverse stakeholders, including elderly individuals who experienced the Partition, their families, community leaders, historians, and cultural experts. I interviewed people from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. I heard stories filled with love, hatred, grief, and hope. Building trust and rapport with stakeholders was crucial. Preliminary meetings served as opportunities to introduce the project, address concerns, and establish a supportive environment. Through collaborative documentation and archiving efforts, stakeholders actively contributed to preserving their stories and cultural heritage.
One unexpected discovery was how participants would open up when their family would bring out an artifact from their life: an old photo, a shawl, a key, or an old wooden box. It transported them to their time before 1947.
The proposed design is an interactive experience within a virtual environment that serves as a space to experience a narrative formed from the stories I archive in my research. By integrating oral history, archival materials, and immersive technology, the design aims to facilitate empathy, understanding, and dialogue. It is a place that tells us we’re connected by our roots, our experiences and our struggle in getting our rightful place in this world. It tells stories of our erasure, and calls us by our names. It recognizes that we are more than just numbers, just an ethnicity on a form - Through this piece I share our grief, our love and our losses.
Using sound design and photogrammetry, I aim to create a space for viewers to peek into this world, shared between generations of South Asians. As I go through this research, I want to open a space for discourse and reflection.
To heal grief, stories must be told, shared, and passed down to understand our trauma and the hope we carry as a generation.
I want to express my sincerest gratitude to my parents (mama baba), my grandparents, my ITP fellows, my ITP Thesis groups, Sarah & Gracy, and Luisia.
A major thanks and kudos to Akmyrat for his constant support and teaching me invaluable skills and lessons during my GAship for immersive experiences class, and for introducing me to VR.
Sarah Rothberg for her insights, motivations, and encouragement to step out of my comfort zone and speak my truth. Sharon for giving me the courage to tell my story and tell it proudly.
To my friends, two o the smartest most living people I know and my constants in this journey , Mina Khan and Mina Niazi, for sticking with me through all variations of my Master's journey, watching me grow, and being my support systems no matter what.
To the ITP NYU community for always showing up in ways I had not imagined.