Faculty of Design
Illustration
Julia Mathew
Bad News
Illustration
2020
Bad News explores the dual reality of emigration as a means to support family abroad. The common notion of moving abroad is for a brighter future for one’s family, but the physical distance has limitations to the amount of support that can be given in times of turmoil. My parents moved to Canada in order to support their parents across the globe and for a better life for their children (as is the case with most immigrant families). In 2018, there was a tsunami in Kerala that caused my grandparents to be trapped on the roof of their home. When my mom got the phone call about the situation, she was stuck and unable to do anything in that time. The amount of worry and stress my parents were going through was indescribable, and it reminded me that the power diaspora has is limited to monetary support. Communication is reduced down to one tragic phone call. I wanted to explore this pure and almost naïve approach to supporting family abroad through this piece.