‘George’s town pt. 2’ explores distance, diaspora, and the hidden truths of familial betrayal and the taste of disappointment.
Footage from a trip to Hong Kong in 2014 was imbued with different meaning after certain jarring revelations were made about my father and the complex dynamics of my family and ancestry. This footage was initially taken for memory keeping’s sake, however when difficult truths began to emerge years later through some highly-charged and confronting phone conversations, I was compelled to explore my memories and perceptions of my father in a new and different light. The ‘Pt. 2’ in the title references these altered perspectives and realities, formed in the wake of these discoveries. Textual elements are combined and contrasted with visual elements to create new meanings within the footage, encapsulating the dissonance of betrayal and paternal love which has been shrouded in a culture of secrecy. The footage skips and glitches slightly at certain points, an undercurrent beneath what would be a smooth surface; while the understated piano provides a landscape for introspection and space for the viewer to draw upon their own experiences and form their own conclusions.
Carielyn Tunion/ALIENCRY is an artist, activist and serial story peddler currently based in Kuring-gai country. Using poetry, video performance, moving image and illustration as her weapons of choice, Carielyn’s practice explores ideas of ‘daily dissent and radical softness’ through a decolonial lens. Her work seeks to give voice to personal and political expressions of resistance as a woman of colour and what it means to be a Filipino x Hong-Kong Australian immigrant settler on unceded Aboriginal lands. Carielyn’s work has appeared in Mascara Literary Review, SBS, Stories of Strength, and various zines and online publications. She has exhibited work at Sad and Asian New York; Lowbrow Denver Colorado; Commune Sydney; and Amber Rose’s Slutwalk LA. She is currently part of the Unspoken Words residency community at Yanada Room, Lewisham. Find more from Carielyn at her website.
https://vimeo.com/345277641 Artist's Statement "Here again, not well, likely a turnspit, jiggered ... whose trajectory scours my sleep? What worriment forths mildewed landsend?” A captain, out on the high seas, on commission from his king, heading to the colonies, reliant on rigging and caulk and the charade of polite society…
I tried to get back to you, tending your greenery my mother complained You water like a Pom, too stingy. when I was a child fairy limbed we planted watermelons in mounds of dirt we never saw shoot the yellowed paddocks backgrounded in dry relief warm winds different seasons…
Just one piece—they will never notice he whinnied as he secreted the piece in his pocket just before he ordered the summary evisceration of his predecessor, as black letters slicked their greasy trail, paving the way for war pipes to rumble over ancient bones turning in their sacred graves, erected…
Carielyn Tunion/ALIENCRY is an artist, activist and serial story peddler currently based in Kuring-gai country. Using poetry, video performance, moving image and illustration as her weapons of choice, Carielyn’s practice explores ideas of ‘daily dissent and radical softness’ through a decolonial lens. Her work seeks to give voice to personal and political expressions of resistance as a woman of colour and what it means to be a Filipino x Hong-Kong Australian immigrant settler on unceded Aboriginal lands. Carielyn’s work has appeared in Mascara Literary Review, SBS, Stories of Strength, and various zines and online publications. She has exhibited work at Sad and Asian New York; Lowbrow Denver Colorado; Commune Sydney; and Amber Rose’s Slutwalk LA. She is currently part of the Unspoken Words residency community at Yanada Room, Lewisham. Find more from Carielyn at her website. 
