At its heart, not nor speaks to a sense of belonging that is neither fully here nor completely there, mirroring my own experience of living between two cultures, feeling both connected and on the periphery.
This experience is captured in my artist statement, written on the mirror:
“I am shaped by the places I live, yet never fully defined by them. Over time these spaces acquire meaning through my interactions and experiences.
My identity, influenced by culture, place, and stories, inspires me to challenge norms in my practice, redefining spaces and their significance.
As an immigrant, I navigate the tensions between belonging and being on the margins - not fully within nor completely outside” (Morais, 2024).
not nor is an exploration of identity, movement, and belonging, grounded my personal experience as a Portuguese emigrant living in the UK. As viewers navigate the installation, they encounter shifting reflections and fragmented text, each view offering only a partial glimpse of the whole. This piece invites movement as a way of seeing more clearly, exploring how changing perspectives shape an understanding of self, always in motion, adapting, and searching.
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The artist statement, beginning with the phrase “I am…”, invites viewers to reflect on their own identity as they look in the mirror. This means the work is only complete when others add their own statements, joining the conversation with their reflections and expressions of self. By prompting viewers to consider their own sense of identity, not nor becomes a shared experience, where each viewer’s interaction enriches the piece with unique perspectives on belonging and identity.
In not nor, viewers must move around to unlock new meanings of the work, no single position offers a complete view. I was inspired by bell hooks’ reflections on identity as a continuous process of “moving, changing, becoming,” not nor invites viewers to experience the fluidity and complexity of identity in real time.
Through this experience, not nor gently prompts viewers to ask what it means to “see” oneself and others, an exploration of identity that, often exists on the edges, revealing the complex relationship between movement, belonging, and the self.
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