온전히, as is. At tapos: Interweaving Fragmented Narratives through Diaspora-as-Methodology

Abstract

This research-creation project examines the complexity of diasporic identity through the lens of the author’s trajectory—born in Korea, raised in the Philippines, and currently residing in Canada. Challenging the Canadian ideology of multiculturalism, which often flattens cultural differences into reductive categories, the work explores narratives that are "illegible" to conventional frameworks. The project employs "diaspora-as-methodology ," using fragmentation and personal narrative to structure a critical inquiry into nonbelonging and cultural multiplicity. The thesis culminates in a solo exhibition, 온전히, as is, featuring two primary installations: 온기 (Warmth), which utilizes Korean onggi vessels and soundscapes to metaphorically "ferment" memories, and Mga Santan In Bloom, which weaves 3D-printed flower beads using traditional Korean maedeup (매듭) to transform a Filippino santan flower bracelet-making communal ritual into scalloped, undulating map of communal care. By interweaving linguistic opacity and fragmented histories, the work positions the diasporic body as a site of constant motion, generating nuanced articulations of identity that resist simplification while embracing the inherent fluidity and multiplicity of the diasporic experience.