thesis: pasalubong

 The narrative of my family’s displacement from the Philippines to Switzerland has constituted a tremendous source of inspiration for my thesis research. My collection stems from a conversation I had with my dad about his migration alone from the Philippines to Switzerland.In order to cope with the absences of his family my father sent over pasalubong boxes to my mother and sister. 

In the Filipino language, Pasalubong is the act of gift giving, usually from a migrant going back to the Philippines or sending over care boxes to their families and friends. This box represents the love from the migrant to their families left behind.They contain all kinds of  objects such as souvenirs, letters, money, food and clothes. The pasalubong boxes pushed the creation of a space which unconsciously mimicked my own home, this lead to think about making a lodge a home.