Zoila, an immigrant from Ecuador, has not seen her son in fifteen years. In her mind, she still imagines him as a four year old child.
In the years that have passed since she left him with her mother in her birthplace of Cumbe, she has remarried and given birth to three American children, who have never met their brother.
For nine months we worked together to create a book for her son Sebastian, inspired by the family’s desire to connect and understand the other’s lives. The completed an album included photos, corresponding messages written for Sebastian, and photos the children took with Fujifilm disposable cameras. After the album's completion, I traveled to Ecuador to meet Sebastian, and we created a second book with the same format to give to his mother Zoila.
The project is intended to create a portrait of South American migrant’s identity. To offer intimate insight into their sacrifices in a time of divisive rhetoric and misinformation about the motivations of those who risk their lives in search of the American Dream.
