Between Two Worlds
Created for Loyola University Chicago Visual Communication Engaged Learning Capstone (Spring 2023), based on my personal experience of being an Asian transracial adoptee.
Role: Graphic Designer, Photographer
Software: Adobe Photoshop & InDesign
An invisible Red Thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The Thread may stretch and bend, but never break.
Thesis Statement
My goal for this project was to create an intriguing documentation of the experiences of several Asian transracial adoptee women, including their adoption stories, how adoption shaped their identities in different life stages, and if they are interested in searching for their biological relatives. My project took the form of a book with red thread imagery containing statements from each adoptee I interviewed, hence the Japanese stab-binding technique. I shed light on the experiences and feelings of the adoptees and pieced together similarities and differences by analyzing their responses to a series of prepared questions about their adoptions. I also photographed the adoptees I interviewed, so viewers could put a face to the different stories, even though the quotes I included were anonymous. This ultimately allows non-adoptees to comprehend the extent to which being adopted affects all aspects of an individual’s life and the internal conflicts that they may face. Finally, I intended my project to foster unity amongst Asian adoptees, specifically in the Loyola area, and allow one another to understand different perspectives that we each may hold.
Statement of Purpose
Many Asian adoptees have grown up being told this traditional Chinese proverb by their adoptive families. It is said the Red Thread symbolizes the connection between an adoptee and their birth mother, no matter the distance. This connection also extends between Asian adoptees, whether it be similar adoption narratives or how adoption shaped identity. However, adoptees do have differing perspectives when it comes to how adoption affects them today and their interest in searching for biological relatives.
Between Two Worlds documents the unique experiences of 11 Asian adoptee women who were raised by white families. Being adopted may evoke certain insecurities and a variety of emotions for all adoptees in general. However, being adopted into a family of a different race creates even deeper identity struggles, specifically for Asian transracial adoptees. The cultural disconnect may foster internal conflicts for adoptees, regarding who they are and where they belong. The goal of Between Two Worlds is to unite Asian women through their shared identity as adoptees, while simultaneously emphasizing diverse perspectives each may have about their adoption.