In response to the prolonged surveillance of Muslim Americans, I visited Manzanar, CA, one of ten Japanese American concentration camps. Haunted by a history of oppressive tactics, including the extraction of the Paiute Indians and diversion of water to Los Angeles, its landscape also evokes my birthplace of Afghanistan and the associated U.S. military intervention. Merging photographs, interviews, and poetry, landscapes of violence find their voice through the botanicals embedded in the paper. Using the Japanese stab binding technique, a solitary golden thread weaves through the pages, outlining an Islamic geometric pattern on the cover, capturing stories of resilience within.

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Through my website: www.gazellesamizay.com