One of the Philippines’ biggest labor export, 85% of all those trained in the country work overseas. As more Filipinos aspire to leave in pursuit of better opportunities, we ask :

“What does it mean to leave your country?’

Working with ideas of visual ethnography, Fernandez collaborated with NHS nurses Joane Perez, and Ina Granados, giving them a camera to document their daily lives- small everyday activities at home and at work. Fernandez also documents the process of growing vegetables in a patch of land allocated specifically for the Filipino nursing community within a walled garden. Growing food situates us in a particular locality, and makes labor visible, planting seeds of self-sufficiency and sustainability, blurring the boundaries between life and art.

The short film is narrated by a poem written by Romalyn Ante, a nurse turned poet.

This project was made possible through the Benilde Open Award and shown during the Benilde Open Design and Art 2024 at the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde – School of Design + Arts (SDA) Campus, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) Manila and Hub for Innovation.