Everywhere we look, flames engulf us in different ways. What around you blazes, and how does it glow? From the inferno of passion, fire leads into motivation and impetus.
Wildfires impel us to reënvision how we understand disintegration, ruin, and renewal.
Do embers and smoke purify? The phoenix rises, revitalized, from flame. How does fire burn through you?
Everyone arbitrarily appears somewhere on a map. This placement—or the borders within which you lie—can determine your identity and path in life. Is it where you belong? For many, the answer is complicated. We can look at maps and see endless possibilities. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, over 1 million people migrate to the US each year—many with these possibilities in mind. But once we find ourselves within new borders, we may feel excluded. Why do these arbitrary lines determine belonging and exclusion? In addition to physically moving between borders, we can zone in on specific locations on a map. Why do certain places in the world hold a special meaning to you?
The term “maps” can also be interpreted spiritually. As individuals, we are inclined to try to map out and design the world in which we want to live. In college especially, many of us are searching for answers to our futures, hoping to find a map to our final destination.
Because of the multicultural and multilingual world that we live in, there are endless ways to interpret the theme of “maps.” How have “maps” played a role in your life? What do “maps” mean to you?”
As we mask ourselves to safely navigate 2020, we are reminded of all the masks we wear in life… There is a Japanese saying that we have three faces: one you show the world, one you show your loved ones, and one you keep to yourself. For multilingual speakers, each language brings out a different identity. We might code-switch, mask our accents, or hide our origins. How are you masked? How do you feel when unmasked?
All around the world, we look up and observe the same constellations. Yet, these patterns in the sky invoke different feelings in each of us. What do these arrangements mean to you? Do they remind you of history, religion, myths, or some other aspect of culture? Do you feel a sense of hope or do they serve as a source of light in your life? A sense of destiny? Was there a series of meaningful events in your life that remind you of the way constellations form?
How have "the stars aligned" for you?