Interwoven

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Erica Wong's Interwoven displays personal memories of lonely people on the Instagram platform (@interwoven.stories). Wong's goal is to acknowledge those who have contemplated or still contemplate feelings of loneliness. By establishing a safe place where people can reflect on themselves, she hopes to invoke a degree of comfort and solace for the ones who have, or still share similar feelings of loneliness, or have not yet been comfortable enough to confess to themselves nor to others about it. The stories span across the row of panels on Instagram, broken down into several parts. Panels are intertwined, given that loneliness is universally shared. Wong chooses to weave the stories on the web simply because once something is posted online, it never truly ceases to exist even after digital deletion; her intent is to give this deeply personal project an unparalleled level of permanence for years to come. With every story, she hopes to provide relief to the ones who have felt underrepresented or alone in their struggle. She wants to give a voice and conviction to people that harbor memories of loneliness, even if they may be embarrassing or seemingly uncharacteristic of the individuals at hand. As such, Interwoven serves to validate the lonely, while also encouraging others to come forward and accept loneliness in all its entirety, at face value.