Je suis ce que Je suis (2018) draws deeply from Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, a literary work that profoundly impacted my upbringing. As a child, I often heard the phrase “Je suis ce que Je suis” in French, echoing through my home, symbolizing a strong sense of identity and self-awareness. This resonant phrase is interwoven with the opening bars of Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantata Brich dem Hungrigen Dein Brot (“Break your bread for the hungry one,” BWV 39), which speaks to themes of charity and compassion, and Georg Philipp Telemann’s aria Brecht, ihr müden Augenlider (“Close your weary eyelids,” from his funeral cantata Du aber Daniel, gehe hin, TWV 4:17), which conveys a sense of rest and closure.

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In this work, I divide Ellison’s powerful declaration, “I am what I am,” into three distinct linguistic segments: English, French, and Haitian Creole. These languages are not just means of communication but represent the cultural tapestry of my upbringing in Jamaica and Haiti. In my household, these languages coexisted, each carrying its own weight of history, emotion, and identity. By presenting the quote in these three languages, I aim to reflect the layered complexity of identity—how it is shaped, fragmented, and reconstructed through the lenses of different cultures and languages.

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The integration of Bach’s and Telemann’s compositions further amplifies the thematic exploration of identity, resilience, and transcendence. The music acts as a bridge between the literary and cultural elements, creating a dialogue between the past and present, between the personal and the universal. In merging these diverse elements, Je suis ce que Je suis (2018) becomes a meditation on the fluidity of identity and the enduring human quest for self-definition amidst the myriad influences that shape our existence.

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Materials: transferred to DVD, single-channel, color with experimental sounds, displayed on an LED monitor encased in a wooden box.