Make Do: part one (2022)

Make Do: part one is a series of images documenting the gadgetry my mother engineered to fix and/or beautify our home. After my mother’s passing, I captured the house as she left it.  My childhood home symbolized the legacy of my family’s success having immigrated from the Philippines in 1963: 44 years, four generations and a life well lived. As a child I was always slightly embarrassed around mom’s crafty DIY home decor style. She juxtaposed pins, zip ties and tape with ribbons and Princess House wall treatments. She repurposed broken fixtures to prop up photos, or support shelving that did not quite fit in a corner. Coming back as an adult, I began to marvel at mom’s ingenuity. Her fervent need to be creative was evident throughout the house.  She had an uncanny ability to see beyond the intended use of an object and resurrect it elsewhere, extending its life. From a make-shift “basket” to a foot-rest using medicine bottle caps and curtain rods, she created contraptions to satisfy her exact needs. The objects range from decorative to functional, all metaphors of how she took control of and managed her experience transitioning to the States and 'making do’.