Backwards Story

When asked about my origin, I often respond with, "I live in Brampton, but I'm from Jane and Finch." However, the truth is, I was born in Scarborough, a fact depicted on this map. Over the course of my life, I've called 10 different houses my home, but only three truly resonate with me. The first layer of this map represents the chronology of my existence, with Scarborough on the far right and Brampton on the left. The varying sizes of the shapes symbolize my physical growth – a square for infancy, a small rectangle for youth, and a large rectangle for my towering adulthood. Alternatively, they can be interpreted as the time spent in different cities.

The colors of these shapes reflect the periods of my life, corresponding to the hues in photos from those times (for instance, Jane and Finch is depicted in green, mirroring my school uniform color). The final layer on the picture plane features two overlapping dark-colored quadrilaterals, symbolizing the weight of my existence in the areas I've inhabited. The dark green square represents the Earth, while the navy blue rectangle overlapping it serves as the "background of my map," magnified.

In conceptualizing this piece, I grappled with the idea that, in the initial years of my life, I lacked a true home. The inspiration for mapping out my existence came from a conversation with a friend who has resided in the same house since birth, spanning 21 years. The notion of a consistent home throughout my life alarmed me, as I believe one's surroundings can shape them profoundly. The person I was in Jane and Finch differs significantly from the individual you see today, especially when considering the evolution from my earlier years to the present. As I reflect on my piece now, it's intriguing – it narrates the tale of my life, and in contrast to the Western books we read, understanding this map requires one to traverse it from right to left, rather than the conventional left to right.