Visualized Forms

Each visualization captures an individual’s experience with self-identity and cultural transmission. From the collected responses, I traced patterns of contrast and commonality that revealed three central themes: Generations and Connection, Belonging and Selfhood, and Preservation and Repression.

GENERATIONS AND CONNECTION
This section explores how generational residency and cultural background influence one’s sense of identity. Each visualization represents a pairing between a participant’s generational depth and the cultural background they feel most connected to, resulting in up to 32 unique outputs. The findings show that even with deep generational roots, a strong cultural connection is not guaranteed, disconnection can still persist.
BELONGING AND SELFHOODThis section visualizes the relationship between identity and social belonging by pairing responses on how cultural groups shape one’s sense of self with how accepted participants feel within those communities. Up to 25 unique visuals reveal where internal identity aligns, or misaligns, with external validation, emphasizing that cultural connection doesn't always translate to feeling included.

PRESERVATION AND REPRESSIONLooking to the future, this section explores how individuals engage with cultural traditions; what they choose to carry forward, and what they leave behind. By pairing responses about perceived cultural pressure with efforts to reconnect (or not), each visualization encodes the tensions between tradition and personal agency. With 10 possible variations, these forms capture how cultural preservation is navigated in a modern society.

Though abstract at first glance, these forms carry symbolic weight. The themes informed three distinct visualization systems, with each of the 21 participants are assigned a form across all three. Repetition across the visuals reveals how many cultural experiences are shared, offering comfort in commonality while celebrating the differences that make each story unique.