silver gelatin prints in on the inside of eggshells, used books, 4′ x 6′ x 10′, 2011

This piece is an exploration of my origins in terms of family history and ethnic identity.  By deconstructing books to resemble dead birds of uncertain species, I reference Charles darwin’s Galapagos finches, which were killed and preserved for later studying and classification.  These birds mirror the ambiguity of my identity as someone of 11 ethnicities, as well as the pressure I experience to sacrifice aspects of who I am to conform to an ethnic identity.  Beneath the birds are representations of home and lineage: nests made of shredded maps of Hawai’i, within which are old family pictures printed on the inside of cracked eggshells.