New Soil, New Soul

Rituals are prescriptions of traditions within a community or culture. They simultaneously are preserved and yet continuously evolving or redefined over time. Often, the focus of a ritual, tradition, or celebration is on ornamentation and objects. However, this series is a study of how rituals and traditions are shaped by gestures, making ornamentation and objects a secondary focus. Notwithstanding, gestures can be a window into another person's culture; gestures are powerful in their timelessness, connectivity, and ability to convey emotion. Gestures provide clues and context, help us interpret and give meaning, and, most important, give us a chance to participate in private moments. This series is a documentation capturing Vietnamese-American funeral rituals in

Houston, Texas. 2018-2019