Priyam Jancosko

Artist Statement

As an immigrant, I often feel like I have lived two lives, and the one left behind is no longer accessible except in memory. The home where I was born and raised is a place I return to often in my work, not as a fixed location, but as something that continues to shift over time.

This series of two artworks explores migration through objects that carry memory, fragments of a home that no longer exists in its original form. The house this work is based on has been demolished and no longer belongs to my family. When I revisited it two years ago, it stood in a state of ruin, existing somewhere between presence and disappearance. That experience shaped this work.

Using augmented reality, the viewer scans the printed image with a phone, and animation and sound appear on the screen layered over the artwork. The printed surface remains still and tangible, while the digital elements exist only through the device. This creates a space where past and present overlap, and where memory can be experienced as something both visible and out of reach.

As an educator, accessibility is an important part of my practice. I intentionally use open source tools such as MindAR, A-Frame, and other web-based libraries that I am also able to teach my students to use. This allows the work to be experienced through a standard smartphone without requiring specialized equipment or proprietary applications. It keeps the process transparent and accessible, both in the classroom and in public settings.

This work considers what it means to belong to a place that is no longer accessible, and how identity continues to evolve across time, distance, and loss. It reflects the experience of carrying memories forward, allowing them to take root and continue growing into the future.