In Manila, the nights are coloured by a thousand neon lights from the businesses and bars that enliven them. The flow of traffic, the heat, and the sounds of the city form a familiar ambience that Tyra Maria Trono rediscovers after long hours travelling from Montréal. While urban environments are often dedicated to consumerism, they also evoke powerful emotions when memories are stirred, especially for those who live far away from the places they love. This experience forms the basis of the artist’s exploration of the textures of diasporic life, when that link is often maintained by a nostalgic relationship to souvenirs gathered over time.

Tightly grouped photographs show countless moments and trinkets collected during Trono’s trips to the Philippine capital and in her Montréal neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges, which is home to a large Filipino community. While these consumer items reflect the socio-economic conditions that underlie their mass production, here they mainly serve as emotionally charged mementos and markers of cultural identity. In a time when the threat of destruction and loss looms over the Philippine archipelago—an area highly vulnerable to natural disasters and the impacts of climate change—Trono’s installation speaks to the urgent need to preserve traces of what it feels like to be there by capturing entire worlds within tiny things.

Tyra Maria Trono would like to thank her mother, Nenita Hufancia, as well as Tito Junior, Tita Lynne, Katkat, Tintin, Rene Boy, Tita Gina, Lola Salvacion, Marie-Rose, Kristine, Kevin, Aileen, Ariane, and Martine. On her father’s side, she also thanks Tita Goyie, Tita Foyie, Tita Wennie, Tito Missing, Tito Ariel, PJ, and Jacob—all of whom are at the heart of this project. She also thanks Philippe Levasseur for his invaluable support, as well as Marisa Portolese, Geneviève Cadieux, Jaret Vadera, her MFA cohort, Victoria Carrasco, John Mendoza, Zana Chiminian, Pushkar Seewooruttun, Cassandra Dufour, Melinda Prince, Alain Zedrick Camiling, and Mark Louie Lugue for their guidance and collaboration. Finally, she would like to thank the team at the Centre VU, especially Jacynthe, Anne-Marie, Kristel, Xavier, Juliette, Débora, Heidi, Denis, Audrey, as well as Magali, the exhibition technician, for their trust and support in bringing this exhibition to life.