In 2022, my family renovated our bi-generational home after living in it for 15 years. Our house was stripped bare, unveiling deeply engrained generational patterns dating back to my parents’ and grandparents’ migration to Canada during the Vietnam War. Feelings that had been buried deep inside our walls were drawn to the surface. For 6 months, the sounds of construction were accompanied by waves of nostalgia. In that time period, we lingered in a space caught between the past and our potential future. The transition carried anxiety and fear, but also hope and excitement for the long-awaited refurbishing of our lives. The privilege of the experience simultaneously carried a vulnerability that ultimately brought us closer.

This photo diary serves as documentation of the renovation project that was a catalyst in my redefinition of home. This book layers fragments of time through images of our space, family archives and material possessions. Between the cultural inconsistencies and the everlasting the chaos, our home has always reflected a search for belonging.