Circles

Like it or not, we migrate throughout our lives. In the same year, no two places are the same; at the same place, no two years are similar. Everyone migrates for the same reason: we are all avoiding something. Running away from issues with your family, with your country, or even just trying to avoid change, the list goes on. No matter how much we try to avoid or run from these things, we will always end up back in the same place. Loosely inspired by Exit West, Into the Wild, and The Rez Sisters, this photo series is meant to capture the symmetry and similarities throughout life. Each black and white architectural photograph of a different building is a generalized representation of a different phase within our lives: infancy, adolescence, work, and eventually death. Arranged in a reel, there is no definitive answer to what direction this photo series is supposed to be viewed; the individual photos, when looked at as a collective, resemble a palindrome. This decision was made based on my general opinion on the circle of life: go to school, get a job, start a family, send your kids to school, retire, and die. Though it might not be for some, to me, this is a very dull and colorless life, hence why I partially sympathize with Chris McCandless's decision to veer off that normal path. This series is open to interpretation, though my own stance on the overall message is: there is no reason to conform to societal norms, live the way you want to, and make life as colorful as you can.

"You'd Dream Before You Were Gone"- This quote is taken from page 165 of Exit West. Saeed is trying to comfort Nadia after she asks him what happens when you die. Of course, no one truly knows what happens before being born or after you die, but I li

"You'd Dream Before You Were Gone"- This quote is taken from page 165 of Exit West. Saeed is trying to comfort Nadia after she asks him what happens when you die. Of course, no one truly knows what happens before being born or after you die, but I like the thought that everyone comes from and returns to the stars.

Life - The extreme contrast between the sky and the hospital is meant to represent our way of thinking between when we are born and when we go to school, a "True or False" way of looking at problems.

Life - The extreme contrast between the sky and the hospital is meant to represent our way of thinking between when we are born and when we go to school, a "True or False" way of looking at problems.

Home - This is your childhood home. Like the photo, your future is still bright, and you are excited for all that is to come. The similarities between the houses symbolize the similarities in our childhoods compared to people in our generation, only

Home - This is your childhood home. Like the photo, your future is still bright, and you are excited for all that is to come. The similarities between the houses symbolize the similarities in our childhoods compared to people in our generation, only deviating slightly.

Uncertainty - Represented through the darkness of the school, when you were first going to school, you were afraid: of the unknown, of leaving your parents.

Uncertainty - Represented through the darkness of the school, when you were first going to school, you were afraid: of the unknown, of leaving your parents.

"He was now Alexander Supertramp, Master of His Own Destiny" - A quote taken from page 23 of Into the Wild, it is Chris McCandless leaving his past, creating his own future, slowly building upon everything just like this skyscraper.

"He was now Alexander Supertramp, Master of His Own Destiny" - A quote taken from page 23 of Into the Wild, it is Chris McCandless leaving his past, creating his own future, slowly building upon everything just like this skyscraper.

Downtown - The office buildings and apartments in the back symbolize the part of your life where you are working, dating, and enjoying life to the fullest of your ability.

Downtown - The office buildings and apartments in the back symbolize the part of your life where you are working, dating, and enjoying life to the fullest of your ability.

Family - You've decided to start a family with your significant other, filled with bright and shining moments represented by the windows, but also with the occasional disagreement, reflected in the blacks in-between.

Family - You've decided to start a family with your significant other, filled with bright and shining moments represented by the windows, but also with the occasional disagreement, reflected in the blacks in-between.

Send Off - It is now time to send your kid to school. Represented by the lighter colors, the outside of the school is more or less the same, but much time has passed, and the things that happen and are taught are very different from many years ago.

Send Off - It is now time to send your kid to school. Represented by the lighter colors, the outside of the school is more or less the same, but much time has passed, and the things that happen and are taught are very different from many years ago.

"We Gotta Make the Most Out of It While We're here" - A quote is taken from page 105 of The Rez Sisters. Pelajia says this after attending a friend's funeral; she reflected on life and realized that despite what she has and where she is, she still ne

"We Gotta Make the Most Out of It While We're here" - A quote is taken from page 105 of The Rez Sisters. Pelajia says this after attending a friend's funeral; she reflected on life and realized that despite what she has and where she is, she still needs to live life to the fullest.

"Half a Century Later Nadia Returned" - A quote taken from page 229 of Exit West, it is what introduces the reader to Nadia's return to her home country. Although it is an entirely different place, it still holds the same essence, just like this hosp

"Half a Century Later Nadia Returned" - A quote taken from page 229 of Exit West, it is what introduces the reader to Nadia's return to her home country. Although it is an entirely different place, it still holds the same essence, just like this hospital and the first.