with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Digital Media Art from San Jose State University. Her work focuses on the various aspects of relationships, her perspective of the world, and culture through storytelling. Laurie uses various digital mediums such as digital illustration, photography and videography to highlight the ways in which various types of relationships change and develop over time. 

 

My most recent work explores my family history through a series of conversations that I’ve had with family members in order to preserve the oral history of my family. My interest in the passing of stories and understanding culture began within my time in college when I was posed with the question, “Which prefecture [in Japan] is your family from?” and didn’t know the answer. I want to pose similar questions to those who might be in the same shoes, but also encourage more conversations around understanding the importance of oral family history because once the history stops being told, it will end. Growing up, my family didn’t really talk about how they came to California. As a Yonsei, or fourth generation Japanese-American, I was self-aware that I didn’t know much about how my family had decided to come to the United States and start new lives here. I created Home as a piece for reflection. The title is a reference to places and experiences that have great significance within the lives of my family. Home is a narrative through a series of audio interviews with family members as they talk about the stories that they remember from growing up in different generations and what they would describe as their home played over video clips that create a reflective space