New Soil New Soul

Rituals are prescriptions of traditions within a community or culture. They simultaneously are preserved and yet continuously evolving or redefined over time. Often, the focus of a ritual, tradition, or celebration is on ornamentation and objects. However, this series is a study of how rituals and traditions are shaped by gestures, making ornamentation and objects a secondary focus. Notwithstanding, not only can gestures can be a window into another persons culture, gestures are powerful in their timelessness, connectivity, and ability to convey emotion. Gestures provide clues and context, help us interpret and give meaning, and, most important, give us a chance to participate in private moments. This series is a documentation capturing Vietnamese-American funeral rituals in Houston, Texas. 2018-2019