Thien Doan

In this thesis work, Sand and Dust is an installation containing multiple types of work, including short videos, short film, sound, photograph, and documentary. Besides that, the exhibition is a juxtaposition of artwork and local found materials and videos. “Sand and Dust” title is inspired by the title of the song written by Trinh Cong Son. This song abstracts the concepts of life and death in Buddhism. I use this title to refer to the discussion of existentialism which is embedded in the survival and struggle of An Bang villagers through the war and post-war. They strive to have a fulfilling life by pursuing a rich lifestyle and hope to reach “the other shore” through inevitable death.

The exhibition is divided into three sections. Each section suggests an ingredient to create a wide picture of An Bang village. The exhibition is a showcase of my discovery of the hidden history, untold stories, trauma memory of An Bang people who lived through the Đổi Mới policy. This also shows my observations centered on the relationship between remittances and life conditions of An Bang’s in-waiting migrant villagers. This body of work captures the contradictions and incompatibility of truth and falsity of belonging, living, dreaming, and dying about the complex memory of war which they are intrinsically connected and yet perhaps, also removed.