What do we carry from our pasts and how do we carry it forward? I am here is an autobiographical audio narrative that ruminates on an intrapersonal tension between past, present, and future. It explores what it means to lose touch with an important relationship, and the subsequent loss of a part of oneself. While the story itself reflects a series of unique events from my life, the piece as a whole aims to evoke a universal sense of yearning and grief for the versions of ourselves that have slipped away. This piece is named for the last line of the piece, “chan yu tee nee” (ฉันอยู่ที่นี่), which translates to “I am here.”

I am here

Derived from a phone conversation with my mother, the audio offers a reflection on how handwritten cards and other such ephemera can evoke the memory of a person. Through repetition, the audio quality shifts and distorts, imparting a sense of distant recollection.

Shira Golden

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