ENGLISH LESSON (SOMETHING WE LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER)
English Lesson (Something We Learn from One Another), 2007, Digital print and drawing on paper, synchronization of 2 videos on 2 sets of small TV monitors and a headphone (each). 5 minutes approximately (each). Page size: 15 x 11 x 2 inches (each).
English Lesson (Something We Learn From One Another) is a collaborative multimedia book project inspired by stories delivered by my classmates in an English class in 2007, who represented diverse nationalities, religions, and cultures. Collaborating with the teacher, Ms. Andetrie Smith, my classmates and I employed proverbs, idioms, and aspects of American culture picked up in the classroom. This project aims to capture the essence of their stories: the beautiful past memories, what lives in their minds in the present, and their hopes for the future. The resulting narrative collection, existing as both book and animated video, is what I call “new English lessons,” something quite different from those in Standard English textbooks.