Why We Are Here Today
By Ellee Pisey Vikram
Note by Tania Love Abramson
Ellee Vikram was a student of mine in the Fall 2018 UCLA Art and Trauma course, (which I co-teach with my husband Paul). The mid-term project was to create a Zine on one of the four categories of trauma that we covered throughout this quarter- War, Slavery, Psychiatric Institutionalization, and Child Sexual Abuse. The rationale behind this assignment was to promote a closer understanding of how traumatic experiences are expressed artistically. Students would typically choose a topic that resonates with them, many times quite personally.
Ellee’s work is a remarkable example of which. It brings the traumatic experiences of the Cambodian war and genocide to light in a very moving and personal way. Her vehicle for doing so is by telling the stories of her parents and grandparents, who were caught up in this tragedy. Her perspective is also informed by peering through the lens of Southeast Asian refugees in America, especially intergenerational trauma, as well as finding cultural ties with other Khmer-Americans.
There is yet another element to this story. This was the first class in which we used Vannak Prum’s graphic memoir The Dead Eye and the Deep Blue Sea as required reading. At this point, we felt extremely fortunate to have Ellee in our class. First, students posed a series of questions that they hoped Vannak could further clarify. Vannak’s co-author, Jocelyn Pederick, then reached out to him for answers. Not only did Vannak respond to their queries, but he also sent a video thanking the students for reading his book and learning about his experiences as a victim of human trafficking.
We were, of course, thrilled with Vannak’s video to our students, and we decided to respond in kind to express our thanks. That’s where Ellee came in. She taught the class how say, “thank you Vannak” in Khmer: “Arkoun Vannak” Though it was simple form of gratitude, when you watch the video we sent back to him, it is clear that it was a heartfelt response from our students. In fact, their connection with Vannak was perhaps the most impactful experience of the entire class.
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