EMILY MANALO RUIZ

A Signal From the Sea

In A Signal From the Sea, Ruiz calls on the tradition of maritime flag signaling to construct a hypothetical dialog with her estranged father, a retired navy man. Through the repetitious exertion of crafting each individual flag, the work embodies the emotional labor of loss and reconciliation. The flags, each one representing a letter of the alphabet, together spell a message that Ruiz uses to communicate her understanding of, and liberation from, emotional discord. Part of an on-going series in which Ruiz stitches together historical references and idiosyncratic colloquialisms in banner-form, the work creates empathetic declarations of human nature.

Ruiz states: 

“My Father left my family abruptly 7 years ago. He is a retired navy man and had always dreamed of returning to his homeland, the Philippines, to start his own business. He built a small fleet of fishing boats that go out to sea and return to sell the catch in the markets of Manila.

We have barely spoken since.

It has taken me years to cope with the anger and hurt of the situation. I have been consumed with the attempt to understand how my Father was able to turn his back on his family and a life that took 60 years to build. Why he left in the manner that he did  remains unanswered. I find myself trying to empathize with him as I consider starting a family of my own. In his mind, were his familial obligations fulfilled? Was he in pursuit of his own personal identity and dreams from so many years ago? Did he ever truly identify with the role I knew him to play? It makes one question - What am I willing to sacrifice to maintain my own sense of self?

The current physical distance was preceded by a constant emotional divide. Due to our cultural and generational differences, household communication proved difficult. In order  to resolve my own inner conflict & initiate a dialogue with my Father (though hypothetical), I venture to rationalize an answer.

Signal flags are used by ships to communicate with one another. They may impart signals of distress or solicit support in navigation, especially when language difficulties arise. Signal flags can each convey a particular message or be used to spell out a message as each also stands for a letter of the alphabet.

Perhaps this is the message my Father would send if our ships ever passed."

In it's entirety, the series reveals the phrase: Selfish But Necessary.