Diana Riesco-Lind

Thesis for the Degree of Maste r of Fine Arts with specialization in Digital Media. This paper is an attempt to review my own artistic practice that has leaded me to the final master’s project: Legacy: a gift of property. This video installation is based on interviews that questions different aspects of a specific group of family related immigrants that came from Peru to Sweden in different years 1973 to 2008. The interviews come out in a very neutral manner and throughout this paper I try to create a relevant context around the times of each individual emigrations and immigration in general as well a review of the different aspects of migration, as the construction of our own identity throughout migration. Read thesis:   http://cartmedia.valand.gu.se/files/Master_Theses/2010/Diana_Lind.pdf

Distance is a looped sound installation in which I speak in Swedish without actually knowing the language. The speech was well rehearsed and edited in the attempt to speak as accurately as possible. The goal was to speak in the language of my grandfather’s side of the family, to fulfill the desires of my great-grandmother as recorded in the writing on the back of an old photograph of my great-grandmother “... this is a photo of your grandfather, Harry's Mather, she would love to hear you talking in Swedish...” , this text was written by my grandmother and the photo was given to me at my arrival to Sweden. The text that I read in Swedish is the story of how Harry's mother loses track of Harry during his lengthy emigration journey and his initial years in Peru, only finding him using the services of Interpol after a number of years had passed. Presented as in installation,the work was shown in a basic environment with a 2x2 m concrete pond echoing the sound of the voice.