Artist and guest editor Peng Wu invited me to be part of the 2023 Residents of Impermanence Artist Writing Series for the Walker Arts Center. This series focused on centering the voices of artists living in the United States without the security of legal permanent residency. Bound by the kinship of our shared experience as temporary workers on US land, each artist of this cohort examined concepts such as fragmentation of identity, language, memory, 

My essay,  An Idea Of A Cow, centered on the interplay of language and culture and how allowing space for miscommunication can give rise to new meanings and unexplored paths. I took inspiration from my experiences navigating between languages on a daily basis, highlighting and sometimes transcending “communicational hiccups” with the help of my art and design practice.

In the words of Peng Wu: “We use this foreign language not to assimilate. Instead, we write with the hope of connecting with one another who are all trapped in this haunted house. English is not the official language of this country, but it is the only language we can use to talk to one another and say, “I see you, and you’re not alone.” Using this borrowed language, we are able to compare notes of navigating this system and find solidarity in our shared experiences.”

You can read the full essay here.