Arini Byng

(indistinct chatter) by Arini Byng

4 interlocking arms and hands. The two people have different skin colour, one dark brown and one light brown
Image: (indistinct chatter) by Arini Byng.

(indistinct chatter) is an intimate and personal work with only my father and myself on screen, in an improvised duet. We negotiate with each other's limbs, vulnerably and tenderly but also with the subtle tensions inherent in the discovery and exploration of cultural and familial themes. The introduced objects serve as personal and historical markers, signifying my fathers experience growing up working-class in the American northeast in the '50s and '60s. They address not only this Black American history, but also the personal histories of children from divorced households anywhere - exploring the possibilities, problems and potentialities of reconstructing relationships with an absentee parent.