Almost American visualizes the magnitude of the rising number of hate crimes committed against Asian Americans since the COVID-19 outbreak through real-time stories reported to the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. The simulation is populated with paper figures programmed with varying degrees of aggression walking along generated paths. When figures of different groups cross paths, the collision results in either a neutral or a negative encounter. One of the victim’s limbs falls and a story appears on the ground, which gradually fades away but leaves an imprint that permanently disrupts the landscape. The stories accumulate as the simulation runs until all of the figures are fully dismembered.

Made in collaboration with Katie Han.