An Apple a Day
Stills from video work, An Apple a Day.
An Apple a Day was created with the intent of exploring the dynamics of relationships and distance within my immediate family. This scripted video features my parents and myself as the actors. It depicts a woman placing a cut apple on the center of the table. In my experience, sharing fruits in the middle of the day has been a form of intermingling in my family. I have also observed this ritualistic practice of gathering around food in other households, specifically South Asian households. In the video, as family members partake in the sharing of the apple, a pattern emerges in the way the women share, and the way the man partakes. The pattern is reminiscent of common gender-based expectations from my household in India.
Through this video, I am highlighting the frustration felt by women, who often go unnoticed for their acts of giving, and how these actions are not expected of men. The daughter ultimately expresses frustrations of not only being unable to continue the pattern, but also with the fact that she is put in this position. She wants more options. The video hints at my mother giving up her life at home, in India, to join my father and selflessly start a life in the United States. It also questions what situation has led my father to stay silent and play his familial role only to the extent that allows him to remain in control instead of displaying any sense of vulnerability. The repetition and sharing between the women underscore the cultural and gender expectations that have been a trait carried forward from my middle-class, partially orthodox family in India, and how these have impacted our emotions and behavior in the States.
Both An Apple a Day and Repercussion incorporate an element of silence that serves to underscore the characters' internal isolation and surroundings. The absence of spoken dialogue is complemented by a soundscape that mirrors the environment and conveys the emotional weight of the characters' actions. The verbal silence enhances the tension between the family members while heightening the emphasis on the struggles they are facing in the diaspora and their interpretation of some social norms. The decision to prioritize silence over dialogue is a deliberate expression of my response to my father's prolonged unresponsiveness in communication.
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