transient

transient is a collection of three flag books by Sarah Matthews, printed using Sintra relief and screen printing. The work explores her experience growing up as a military child—constantly moving, rarely staying in one place for long.

The title reflects both movement and impermanence. transient becomes a metaphor for the feeling of being connected and disconnected at the same time: learning how to adapt, trying to fit in, and never fully settling before the next change.

Each book focuses on a place that shaped her sense of identity: Manhattan, New York, where she was born; Misawa, Japan, where she also lived for five years; and Brevard, North Carolina, where she lived for five years.

Together, the three flag books form a visual and tactile map of memory, place, and what it means to grow up in motion.

Edition of 1.

transient is in the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Cynthia Sears Collection, in Bainbridge Island, WA