Looking and Seeing/Seeing and Looking
Two narratives explore race through the experiences of friends from different backgrounds.
Truong Tran author Damon Potter author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Omnidawn Publishing
Published:27th Mar '24
£19.00
Supplier delay - available to order, but may take longer than usual.
This dual narrative explores race through the experiences of two friends: a Vietnamese American and a white man. One reflects on identity and complexity, while the other contemplates privilege and mortality.
Looking and Seeing/Seeing and Looking is a thought-provoking dual narrative that explores the complexities of race through the experiences of two friends—one Vietnamese American and the other a white man. The book is divided into two parts, each offering a distinct yet interconnected perspective on identity, race, and the human experience.
In the first section, Looking and Seeing, Truong Tran presents a collection of poetic reflections that delve into themes of yearning, regret, and righteous indignation. Through his poignant verses, Tran examines his existence as a person of color navigating predominantly white spaces. His poetry serves as a powerful exploration of self, revealing the intricacies of his identity and the societal dynamics that shape it. The emotional depth of his work invites readers to reflect on their own experiences and the broader implications of race in contemporary society.
The second part, Seeing and Looking, shifts the focus to Damon Potter, who provides a candid examination of his identity as a white man. Potter grapples with the complexities of his privilege and the moral dilemmas that arise from it. He confronts the realities of death—both his own and that of his friends—while reflecting on the importance of witnessing the world around him. Through his introspective narrative, Potter seeks to understand what it means to be a good person in a world marked by historical oppression, ultimately inviting readers to engage in their own reflections on race and identity. Together, these two narratives create a rich tapestry of understanding and empathy, encouraging dialogue about the multifaceted nature of race.
"If Book of the Other: small in comparison, was Tran’s navigation through the darkest part of the forest, Looking and Seeing is the continuation of the map in the ongoing case study to bring one’s existence to the forefront in communication with whiteness. Tran transitions his proximity to whiteness, showcasing the progression of one’s positionality within his ongoing journey in self-proclamation. In this book, we gain a more intimate understanding of the intention of the other. I made this art for you not in the hopes that you will hang it on your wall but in the sense that you will hold its consciousness that you will see yourself as others see you as question as subject as metaphor as conflict that art as human is conflicted and confronted. Tran requires us to sit with his examinations, with his witnessings, his confrontations, and his consciousness. we look, but Tran reiterates 'do we see?' and if seeing was the precursor to understanding, what can you do to shift your positionality in the ongoing struggle against whiteness as a threat? whiteness as inherent. whiteness as the standard. whiteness as the goal. whiteness as dominance. Whiteness as foe. whiteness as illness. whiteness as dismally & unimpressively; whiteness. by taking on this joint project with Potter, Tran showcases the possibility and intimacy of engaging with whiteness without the doldrums of performance. placing brown and white together on a conversational canvas to enrich the complexity of solidarity and truth."
-- Mimi Tempestt, author of "the delicacy of embracing spirals"
“Tran’s newest book is a new kind of contraption, a language chamber that splits the infinities of Belonging and Accountability (and Rage, and Memory, and many other concepts besides) into the refracted light that is the Poem in its most beautiful and affecting shape: the form of survival. I always applaud Tran’s bravery in the face of this world we molded out of chingazos, vast and unruly. This book screams and bites and protects all the people who think of themselves as the smallest dot.” -- Raul Ruiz, author of "Mustard"
ISBN: 9781632431233
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 18mm
Weight: 313g
129 pages