Parachute kids

Abstract

The concept of a ‘Parachute Kid’ is relatively new. It describes a phenomenon whereby a person becomes a transnational induced by the decision of his parents to emigrate from their country of origin due to economic and other factors. Based on the former, I will develop a visual identity project that provides an alternative lens at seeing the everyday of a ‘Parachute Kid’. Using performative, participatory and documentary practices, I would examine the life stages of several ‘Parachute Kids’ and their route to ontological security. Crucial to the concept is the metaphor of a parachute and the act of piecing it together as means of identity formation. As traditional discourse on ‘transnationalism’ favours a top down approach at mapping ‘globalization’, this project challenges the dominant discourse of a ‘Parachute Kid’; giving voice to their individual psyche and journey to identity stabilization which hitherto has been unheard of.

This project bridges the research gap by inquiring into the notion of the term; focusing on the manufacturing, construction and identity making processes of a transnational.