The speech The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action by Audre Lorde was the main inspiration behind this project. The author pushes the reader to reflect on the things they did not have words for or had been silent about. I was reminded of the experience my brothers and I had when we left for boarding school. Something I did not have the words for at the time were feelings of separation of abandonment I had when my older brother, and then eventually myself, left home for high school. I did not recognize that this was the last time me and my brothers would live together until years after. Despite my family unit being separated and feeling despondent about the situation, I never said anything meaningful or heartfelt to my brother when he left because I was only 13 and did not know how to verbalize how I felt. This experience inspired me to make two posters that would be statements to my older brother when he left and my younger brother when I left.

For the subject of the poster I chose to use statues of the biblical figures my brother and I were named after: Andrew the Apostle and Archangel Gabriel. This was significant because during my childhood our parents would use biblical stories to teach us how to get along. I associate parables and biblical teachings with how I treat my brothers, so using the figures we were named after represented the biblical morals our brotherly relationship grew from.


Risograph 11” x 17”

I decided to title the posters after the years these events took place: 2014 for my older brother leaving and 2016 for when I left. For the 2014 series I focused on the idea that this was the first time me and my siblings would not live together. It was a breaking up of a trio that I had been a part of my entire life, and I regret how I never told my older brother how much his presence would be missed. It was only after experiencing his absence that I was able to truly appreciate the time we spent together growing up.

Risograph 11” x 17”

For the 2016 series I wanted to shift the focus to my little brother. Despite knowing how hard it had been on me and him when my older brother left, I still made the choice to leave home. Leaving home for an educational opportunity and missing out on 3 years of my little brother growing up is a decision I still question to this day. I never said anything along the lines of an apology for what I did, but I always felt like I owed him one. This poster served as a physical “I’m sorry” to my brother.