Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, TED speaker, and STEM advocate. As artist-in-residence with the NYC Commission on Human Rights, Amanda’s art series “I Still Believe in Our City” reached hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers through her Atlantic Terminal billboard and subway domination as well as on digital MTA liveboards and bus shelters. From large-scale murals, augmented reality (AR) experiences, 3D printed sculptures, and interactive installations, Amanda makes the invisible, visible. She has explored microscopic universes, familial memories, and the power of collective action, challenging viewers to rethink the world around them and revealing the often unseen struggles of communities of color. Her work has been shown at the Cooper Union, Google, the Sorbonne, and recognized by The New York Times, Fast Company, and on the cover of TIME. She has received support from the Sloan Foundation and the Jerome Hill Foundation and her work is part of the permanent collection at the Goldwell Open Air Museum. Earlier in her career, Amanda worked as a researcher studying Alzheimer’s Disease at Columbia Medical Center and received her MFA from Pratt Institute. She is currently working on FINDINGS, a national mural series celebrating women and science, in partnership with the Heising-Simons Foundation.

The only thing harder than suffering is suffering alone in silence. We each carry inside of us burdens, wounds, and heartaches that we might never reveal publicly. And yet in those rare moments when we do share our vulnerability, we find not just common ground but deep connection. Moved by the watershed moment of Asian and Pacific Islander youth sharing their stories of sexual assault and gender-based violence, Amanda created this piece to enable the healing power of honest disclosure.

During the creation of “May we know our own strength”, the artist will occupy physical space in a storefront at 401 W 14th Street in the Meatpacking District. New Yorkers are invited to anonymously share a personal story via a public website. A row of sixteen internet-connected receipt printers wired to incandescent bulbs sit on a platform at the installation site. Each personal submission is immediately printed on location, illuminating a corresponding bulb to let visitors know their voices are being heard. Through the always-on webcam, viewers can observe an organic pool of shame, anger, doubt, grief and hope emerge from cascading ribbons of paper.

At regular intervals, the artist will seat herself at the base of the growing heap and begin a brief ritual involving an affirmation of human dignity and courage in the face of adversity. She will weave these stories into a collection of intricate hanging paper sculptures, growing abstract shapes and natural textures onto a massive arched trellis made of wood.

Reminiscent of confession, this piece creates a new kind of ritual for a community to share sins, secrets and suffering. Participants can safely experience the relief that comes with having an audience bear witness to their private pain. By manifesting someone’s digital thoughts into a large-scale sculpture, we communicate the significance of their story while reminding them that they are not alone. When we encounter an archway, we have the opportunity to lay down old burdens and pass through with a sense of renewal and rejuvenation. A new beginning. Through this work, participants and the community at large can experience a cathartic release and witness their anguish transformed like alchemy into a work of art. “May we know our own strength” is part of Amanda’s residency at the New York City Commission on Human Rights, and part of the Public Artist in Residence program through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

Please visit Amanda’s Instagram, Twitter, and her website for more information.