Sound Project

Sound Installation: Loss of the Super Hero Parent
by Affiliate Artist Kristina Quinones
 Headlands Center for the Arts

There comes a time in every child’s life when reality hits and they learn that their parents are not immortal. A tragic, uncontrollable, or unavoidable event triggers emotions of fear, confusion, heartbreak and sadness in the child.
 
A parent loses control in front of their child, and it is too late to take back what has been said. Nothing hurts more than the disapproval or anger of a parent.  
 
This sound piece is a portal into what a child should not experience at such a young age: the realization that their parent is no longer a super hero. The dialog shares the immediacy of expression of vulnerability. This piece explores misunderstanding, denial of loss, and the end of childhood innocence.
 
As the father loses his sight, the daughter is forced to understand that playing doctor with the flashlight will not cure him. The superhero parent falls, and the child is stuck with disappointment and confusion in the aftermath.