My work:
Eight Kilometers
Creator: Kiubon Kokko
Nobody’s ever heard of the Freedom Swimmer movement of around 600,000 Chinese refugees fleeing to Hong Kong during the Cultural Revolution. When I first heard this story about my dad, it was passed down like a fairy tale. My mom told me it took him one week to swim, with two friends, and they both died along the way. I wanted the true story from my dad, so I sat him down and interviewed him. This piece of history demands to be known. It intrigued me, and I know it’ll intrigue others, so that’s why I am telling this story.
Thanks for Picking Me Up
Creator: Kiubon Kokko
In Ohio, for fun, me and my friends would drive from one fast-food restaurant to the next. Sitting and avoiding eye contact led to vulnerable conversations: “I haven’t told anyone this. I’ve wanted to kill myself for a while.” This is how we got close. I wanted to see if these vulnerable conversations could be replicated in Europe with strangers. This was important to me, because when I was in the car with my dad, I couldn’t speak because of a deep ingrained fear. Ultimately, I wanted proof that it wasn’t my fault he doesn’t talk to me.