HANDLE WITH CARE
A Multimedia Art Installation by Shaira Castillo
Mementos serve as a reminder to never take things for granted and practice gratitude. Fifteen years ago, my family and I had to leave everything behind and begin a new life in Canada. We had little money, but my parents still found a way to provide for us. The love, support, and consideration I received from them growing up taught me to take care of what I have and be grateful. Keeping mementos became my way of holding onto that lesson and showing appreciation. When the objects broke or no longer functioned, I stored them in boxes to keep their sentimental value. In Handle with Care, I unbox my mementos to go back and relive their significance. The mementos are displayed outside the boxes, revealing the memories and connections I protected and cherished. I combined audio stories and multimedia technology with installation art to project my memories onto the mementos and project digital scans of the objects, preserving them forever and honouring their sentiments.
ABOUT SHAIRA
I’m Shaira Castillo, and I'm a Filipino interdisciplinary artist. I've recently graduated with a BA in Creative Technologies at the University of Regina. Along with my undergraduate degree, I minored in Film Production and completed a certificate in Business Administration. My creative practice spans photography, filmmaking, visual design, augmented reality, digital storytelling, mixed media, and art installations. Through these mediums, I explore themes of culture, identity, class, nostalgia, attachment, relationships, and coming of age. My goal is to create authentic and moving work that both challenges and comforts viewers.
I'm passionate about combining art and technology to connect with communities I'm part of and proudly share our stories and values. Recent projects I've worked on include creating an augmented reality experience for the University of Regina's 50th Anniversary, co-founding the Creative Technologies and Design Student Society, building the social media presence of a development company, and co-founding a multimedia brand specializing in photography, videography, visual design, and social media content, created to support and celebrate the Filipino community in Regina.
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