We were instructed to pair up with a classmate to be each others’ subject and interview each other about our lives, experiences, culture and interests. In the pair, we had to decide on an activity for each other to replicate or act out clearly to be documented photographically that relates to this discussion. The background interior/exterior space complements this activity by asserting a new, unexpected meaning.
Process: Interview
Personality
- Funny
- Expressive
- Energetic
- Stylish
- Artsy
Background life
- Mom – Colombia
- Sportswear designer
- Dad – Brazil (Cuban woman divorced, divorced mom, married again)
- Hang Gliding instructor
- Sister (18), Half-brother, Half-sister (not close w half siblings – Dad-side)
- Born in Miami, Florida (age 20)
- Very Hispanic
- Moved to Weston for high school
- More “white-washed” – mixed
- Bubble – isolated, everglades
- Drive – one grocery store, gas station, homes
- More one-on-one friend type person, group is close minded/clique
Experiences
- Moving from Miami to Weston (very stuck up neighborhoods but friends close-knit, opposite of Miami)
- AP art, created a portfolio
- Young Arts National Foundation/Association
- Week of taking master classes, surrounded by people who take art seriously
- Didn’t at the time believed it was possible – went to college for 2 years in Florida
- Young Arts National Foundation/Association
Culture
- Family values
- Never pay attention – did whatever even if disagree
- Independent
- Grandmother very Catholic (went to school with nuns) but Mom is more open
- Polite, careful
- Very delicate flower
- Never pay attention – did whatever even if disagree
- Miami
- Cuban
- Dancing/Partying – Colorful
- Drag
- Big community – close knit
- BBQ
- Intense
- Went to Christian school
- Stuck up people
- Hurt people – pushed down stairs
- Been to Colombia – know the family (understand them)
- Speak softly, relaxed way of living (attitude) no matter how you live, no in-between on poor or rich
- Tattooed
- Happy with whatever they have
- Like seeing this energy, like feeling that way but like living here and being busy/pushing self to do things couldn’t do – can’t live in Colombian way because have to do something
- Not very connected to Brazilian culture – want to discover, don’t understand them (can understand Portuguese)
- Machismo (taught) – dangerous, public schools filled with criminals
- “Gringa” – wouldn’t have friends that weren’t America-Culture
- Divide
- Felt like a “fish out of water”
- Grandfather (artist visiting from Spain) met grandmother at grocery store
- Knew each other for less than a month, got married (very young around 20)
- No future in Colombia, move to America – very much on a whim
- Lived in bad neighborhood
- Robbed, he tried to defend himself/sneak up or stop them and they attacked him and he died
- Mom was 16 at the time
Interests
- Photography
- Digital art
- Film
- Music
- Dance, Singing
- Fashion
- Nature
- Languages, Cultures
