the sun sometimes sleeps

• Composed of a hybrid of live-action footage and AI stylization, a personal interview, modeling in Unreal Engine 5, and a score produced by myself; the project is equivalent to passion, it is raw and without restriction.
• Firstly, I began with an interview with my mother regarding family, memory, and grieving. I then used recorded footage of a fake interview set-up, where I dressed up similar to my mom – since I am located in Evanton, Illinois, while she is in Azusa, California. Utilizing Runway AI, I then put the recorded footage into the algorithm with various pictures of my mom. The algorithm then transformed the fake interview footage into what resembled an uncanny but nostalgic recreation of my mom, in spite of the fact that it was truly me. For the second part, I recreated my Tia’s house from memory, or rather my aunt’s.
• This is a generational house, my mom was raised in it, my cousins and extended family continue to live in it, and my relative died in it. I feel an immense connection to what could be considered simply a house. To me, it is much more. I grew up in a difficult time for my immediate family, where we unfortunately lost our house as a product of gentrification and rising prices. We ended up selling the house for less than 50% than what it was worth, which we saw when the next owners sold it. To my mom, it was the fruit she picked, the dream she had cradled and hoped would grow old for her children. A home became for me an ephemeral “thing:” it was rather my family, and while I have been distant from them in college, it is a spirit that lives in me that cannot be sold, and definitely not for less than what is worth. It is difficult to remember that, but memory is simultaneously tangible and intangible. Furthermore, the opportunity to explore my gender presentation added another layer of depth as I realized further attachments to womanhood, and therefore an understanding of my mom. That is why I made the documentary.
• Memory is ephemeral and fades, and its preservation relies on the changing perspectives of those who remember. This documentary mainly surrounds remembrance of a relative, who had difficult problems that eventually claimed his life. Differences in memory between my mother and I are rifted by different knowledges; but nevertheless, AI acts as a “bridge” for our memories to collide visually, but the authentic connection relies on ourselves and the stories we tell. I think it’s important to focus on memory because it is one of the most radical and powerful tools of resisting dominant powers: if we work to remember each other and grieve the things we lost, then they never truly left. In the digital age, it is easier to recognize lives lost and what they mean to us, but behind screens is the carnal knowledge that is only accessed through oral tradition and interaction. Both are good; together, they are strong.

film here.