Melisa Garrido Pinto
Rituales
Migrant roots: rituals that connect Latinxs with their culture.
Rituales is an illustrated, collaborative publication showcasing different rituals of a group of seven Latin American migrants, which they follow to remain more connected with their culture. Each story has been submitted by the participants alongside photographs from their personal collection. The illustrations introducing each of their stories were created from the overarching concepts behind these narratives. The printing method chosen was Risograph, which has been done manually, and that alongside the variety of paper tones, transparencies and sizes of pages throughout the project, represents the layers of identity that one constructs when being an immigrant. The publication celebrates the beauty of the complexity that comes with the process of migration, while also connecting to other migrants experiencing similar stories. The publication hopes to create a sense of belonging for them — and for me.
This practice-led research project that has materialised into a publication presents seven stories from Latinx migrants, supported by photographic and illustrative components. It explores topics of cultural identity, acculturation processes, and rituals followed by the participants in order to connect with each of their cultures. It is a collective project in which I review my own process as I aim to represent the essence of each narrative by extracting concepts and empathising with the emotions that each ritual embodies.
The methodology used for its development is a collaborative auto-ethnographic research approach, which implies self-reflection in parallel with the contribution of others’ experiences, and touches on personal details of my life as someone of the Latin American community going through feelings of homesickness. Its purpose is to open a space in which I can use creativity to connect to deep emotions and share these with the external world, as well as honour the participants' unique situations. As a result, this printed matter is a combination of visual representations of food, bilingual dynamics, nostalgic memories and culture-rooted rituals symbolically illustrated, to offer the end user an opportunity to experience the perspective of a migrant.
