my joss paper

artist statement/
description

I like the way
paper
burns
different papers
burn differently
passport
paper
is unique
how it burns
slowly
without curling
retaining
resilience
can appreciate
how a passport
could
stoke
assumptions
the geopolitics
of humans
for a
business
traveler
it's loaded
with meaning
already had several
loaded
with
stamps
fundamental tensions
exist between my
mission
responsibility
how narrowly
this document
defines
me
encapsulating rungs
a social hierarchy
badge of membership
or mark of
unacceptability
all this meaning
would be
lost
in my galaxy
where physiology
ID 
has now been
necessary
for several centuries
there
it'd just make
a great museum
piece

details
Date created: 2009 & 2022
Medium: assemblage (altered passports, entry visas, immigration stamps, currency, clothespins, accordion fold altered currency)
Dimensions: 6" x 9" x 3" (15.24 x 22.86 x 7.62 cm) each
Display case: 14" x 14" x 12"
Subject Matter: migration, global transience


Passport #1
Validity: 03 Jun 2003- 03 Jun 2004
Visas: Thailand (5), Vietnam (2), Cambodia (1)
Currency: Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam
Stamps: 58 entries & departures (mostly from SE Asia and East Asia)

Passport #2
Validity: 13 Oct 2011 - 13 Oct 2016
Visas: India (1)
Currency: Trinidad
Stamps: India, USA, Trinidad


i saw three ships / series of 9
1. Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia / Japanese coins
2. Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand/ Japanese coins
3. India, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam/ Australian coins
4. Laos, Thailand, Cambodia/ UK coins
5. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam/ Japanese coins
6. Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia/ Japanese coins
7. Thailand, Vietnam, India, Cambodia/ Japanese coins
8. Laos, Thailand, Cambodia/ UK coins
9. Cambodia/ Australia, UK coins
Images &
installation instructions
Click the top (or left) animated image to access the image gallery. Download the installation instructions below.
installation
instructions