Edge Dictionary
This project explores language through the subtle facial expressions and movements people make when pronouncing culturally significant words in their native tongues. It investigates the vital role of spoken native languages within migrant and refugee communities - as vessels of memory, identity, and resilience. Language is not merely a tool for communication; it is a living thread that connects individuals to their roots, bridging generations and preserving cultural heritage.
By focusing on native speech, this body of work seeks to highlight the richness and nuance of linguistic diversity and underscore the voice as both a personal and collective archive.
Originally, I intended to collaborate with real participants from migrant and refugee backgrounds, using their faces and voices to bring immediacy and emotional depth to the piece. However, practical limitations and ethical concerns - particularly around privacy, consent, and the representation of vulnerable communities - led me to reconsider this approach.
In response, I turned to simulation technologies and facial motion capture as alternative methods for realizing the project’s core ideas. Using demographic data from the House of Commons Library, I identified countries with the highest numbers of asylum seekers in the UK - such as Ukraine, Pakistan, Syria, China, and Iran - and created digital avatars inspired by these communities. By linking facial motion capture software to my phone’s camera, I animated the avatars in real time, enabling them to “speak” culturally resonant words drawn from their respective linguistic traditions.
Though the faces are virtual, the words they speak are deeply rooted in lived experience and cultural memory. This interplay between simulation and authenticity lies at the heart of the work, inviting reflection on representation, visibility, and the evolving nature of identity within both linguistic and digital spaces.