404/Lost in Translation
A girl watches supercuts of Asian food on her TV.
Artist’s Statement:
Observing the connection between Asian Americans and the culture of their ancestral motherland through the concept of authenticity in food. The idea of ‘authentic’ food is one rooted in white validation. ‘Authentic’ Asian food seems to exist in a time capsule in America, and this notion of ‘authenticity’ invalidates the experiences of Asian Americans.
I used to struggle so much with my identity as a second-gen Asian American. I felt a disconnect with the culture of my motherland, but also a disconnect with American culture. I felt put in a box of what people expected my Asian-ness to be like. When talking about Asian culture in classes, I felt like my opinion didn’t matter as much because I wasn’t born in China and I was never taught how to speak the language. I felt like a fake Asian.
With this short film, I wanted to encapsulate the feeling of disconnect with Asian culture. In reality, what the girl is disconnected from isn’t real - it’s a white perception of ‘authentic’ Asian culture that can be summed up into the monolith of a pile of objects and a couple of screens. As she gets increasingly bored, this is her getting bored with these expectations, eventually standing up and moving on. However, this capsule is permanent- the feeling of disconnect does not go away so easily. It comes, and it goes. Maybe it’s just a detour we keep on coming back to until we learn our lesson.
Director/Production Designer: Sara Lowe
Director of Photography: Odin Contreras
Gaffer: Adrian Alvarez