My grandfather passed away. By his deathbed, family members held hands together. But I was not there. I was a pacific away from Taiwan.
Grandpa and grandma raised me up. A family photo wall was decorated with flower baskets at his funeral. Pictures and videos were shared in family group chats. I feel light-headed, wandering alone in my small room here in San Francisco. My memories of grandpa are not only mediated, but often damp—over whiskeys and sudden tears.
This project is my practice of saying goodbyes to my loved ones.
Behind the Scenes
For test shooting, I collected and edited clips of my grandfather from the following sources: video chat recordings, b-rolls from Dear Commuter, and videos filmed by other family members by his deathbed. These video clips were be projected onto a transparent fish bowl (with water and mirror pieces in it). Underneath the fishbowl, there is a cotton or wool fabric in dark color.
Damp Memories: Test shooting clip 1
I chose to use my phone camera for this project. Smaller device allowed me to be flexible and creative with unusual camera angles. I put my phone right above the water surface, For example, with an iPhone micro lens on it. The test-shooting result is shown below (test-shooting clip 2). The imagery is out of focus, due to the distance between camera lens and water surface had to be precise and consistent.
Damp Memories: Test shooting clip 2
For my final product, I used a waterproof iPhone case, which allowed me to merge my camera in the water. I intended to create multiple layers: the projected video, the running water, and beneath the water surface in a bathtub.
