We all are shaped by our cultures and backgrounds, so I wanted to use this project to express part of my culture and how I was shaped by it. As an Indian born in America with immigrant parents, my upbringing was very different from that of those around me. 

It’s always during the early stages of our childhoods that everything we are influenced by is catered by our parents. We weren’t able to explore for ourselves until much later, so everything my sisters and I knew were limited to what my immigrant parents were able to share with us. It was only in middle school when I started learning about the things that were common knowledge to others. I began looking up translations regularly, but still often found myself having to explain around the words because I couldn’t find the right words in English. Even today, I struggle with the holes in my knowledge of both cultures, as it has left me in this strange middle ground, where I do not feel accepted in the Indian community due to my lack of language proficiency, cultural knowledge, and religious commitment, but at the same time feel the clear divide between myself and American culture.

This project began with a search of cultural differences, but evolved into a series highlighting culture in general. I want to share images that are relatable to people of all cultures, as many of us struggle with the words to describe our individual cultures.

Inspirations for the style of photography chosen here came from the guest photographer we had in class, Algis Norvila, who’s work documented different objects. Additionally, the idea for the project in general comes from personal experiences with friends who don’t understand my lack of knowledge of American culture.