Khin Theim (2024)
Documentary Arts, Docu-fiction

"For every image of the past that is not recognized by the present as one of its concerns threatens to disappear irretrievably" (Benjamin, 1968)

In the larger traditional framework of preserving and shaping history, historians curate and construct narratives of the past based on the societal perceptions of importance. In other words, only those certain stories and images that are deemed significant or valuable tend to be preserved and presented.

My project: Khin Theim is the retracing of my grandmother’s life in the backdrop of the countries’ seven historical turning points: the late colonial period to the recent Military regime in 2021. Through each historical point–crafted by diving into my own memory, my grandmother's photo archives, the interviews with my relatives, and the one snippet of audio recording I have of my grandmother–I retell the story of, what others would call,an ordinary woman from Burma. Plain oral history, in some. A bit of dramatic flair and fabrications, in others.

This project examines how an ordinary family like ours is shaped by, and at the same time, helps shape the broader socio-political landscape of the country. Through this exploration, I hope to honor my grandmother's enduring spirit and preserve her story, before these photographs deteriorate and my memory fades.