Abstract
This paper examines how transnational identity both constitutes a distinct cultural identity and reflects a shared understanding of servitude as a lived practice. Positioned between diasporic experience and cultural distillation, my work considers how this ethic of service can function as a practical method for building and maintaining relationality across different backgrounds. In this context, the Pacific concept of vā refers to the relational space shaped by connection, obligation, respect, and care. Here, memory is approached as praxis; a deliberate and communal process linking inherited knowledge with contemporary experiences. The vā, similar to gender liminalities within Pacific frameworks, operates as a site where identity is negotiated rather than fixed, allowing for making that avoids reductive representation. Through this approach, I propose a visual dialogue on how identity facilitates reciprocity, shared understanding, and cultural integrity between people whose histories and perspectives may differ yet remain connected.
Presenters
George FunakiStudent, Master of Fine Arts, Whitecliffe College of Art and Design, Auckland, New Zealand
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Civic, Political, and Community Studies
KEYWORDS
EPISTEMIC, GENDER, LIMINALITY, SOCIAL, TRADITION, DUTY, DIASPORIC, TRANSNATIONAL, OBLIGATION, METHODOLOGY
