"A Nomad In Town is an exploration of the connections between people and places. Finding
connections within these places, or a possible sense of stability or relatability. Taking the form of a visual narrative, the story follows the character of a Nomad, an individual from a distant land, Saudi Arabia, who arrives in the United States with an avid curiosity for exploration. The Nomad tries to get as close to some true unspoiled core of a place, taking the form of a photographic reflection of my personal experience living in the US. Each image serves as a window into the Nomad’s world as she draws parallels between the US and her homeland. Reconnection is explored through nature and nostalgia, and finding comfort in the landscape. A text by Agnew resonates with this concept of seeking familiarity within the intersections of identity and the landscape “Memories can be nostalgically evocative of imaginary homelands.” Thus, collective memories, stories, and visions of the homeland manifest themselves into the Nomad’s journey. After visiting each location, the Nomad realizes that home is a perpetual possibility and that she is journeying to
reach it within these parallel worlds. This project aims to portray the interconnectivity that
embodies our lives fostering a deeper appreciation for the cultural threads that bind us all.
A gift, soft and striped, patterned just the way I like.
I wear it and it feels like an embrace, memories blanketing me.
Much needed when entering this space.
Down the rabbit hole, A Nomad has arrived.
A quick trip upstate before we even settle in town.
Exposure to different art all around.
Bigger and louder.
In limbo between dream and reality.
Dessert panels and boat-shaped structures, are we home?
Mirrored in the floor, we go down the rabbit hole.
A picnic in the park, where the nomads meet.
Arab warmth at its finest, backgammon, coffee, and a seat.
Luck of the dice, double sixes
The dichotomies that surround me, the dualities that embody me, are etched in the shadows of this cave.
Waves circle around me and escape narrows.
Transience, impermanence, the ever-changing tides,
The palm, an emblem of home.
Resilience in its branches, history in its leaves.
The stories of many who have pondered under this shaded canopy.
A wagon in the desert, Nomad now lives the Western dream.
A game of hide and seek, behind the cacti we meet.
Cacti how you are so different? A poke and it ends there. You don’t protect me like the sturdy
palms.
The tides disperse, and the pull of the waves reveals the sand and the secrets carried with them.
We sit and ponder what this journey has given.
Living in a nation full of ghost places feels like home but not the same faces.
Stayed away from home too long, oh Nomad where have you gone?"
