Modern Migrations

For the final assignment of my Integrative Studio: Migrate course, my peers and I were assigned to create a piece out of whatever medium we desired - muslin, letters, plaster, apricots, etc. - so long as it tied into the theme of migration.

There were two options I was yearning to do. I sat there for a good two hours before finally talking to my professor and deciding that the piece inspired by my mother's immigration story would ultimately draw out the best source of imagery I wanted for the project.

The idea was to construct a runway set and have a Barbie doll dressed in a 1/6 scale wedding dress similar to the one my mom wore on her wedding day. The runway would connect to the work that she currently is involved in today while also being a symbol of her journey from her home back in China to the point of where she is today in America.

I constructed a door frame that resembled the doorway of her home back in Hainan. To really reinforce the concept of the piece being a tribute to my mom's journey, I attached images ranging from her being a child to the days of her running her own bridal shop. This would give it that extra special personal touch and also visually illustrate my mom's progression (on top of having her embodied in the Barbie doll in the wedding gown). The final cherry on top of this "sundae" is adding in red banners with phrases of good luck on/near the doorway.

While the piece is strong enough to visually communicate the story behind it, there is still an accompanying text:

"My name is Huan. Huan E Song…but you may call me Wendy. According to the Western calendar, I was born on August 15^th, 1959 on the island of Hainan (fun fact: in the same year, the iconic Barbie doll was introduced to the world). Life on the farm wasn’t easy. There was my grandma, my father, my mother, my older sister, and I. We were considered well off on the island, but that didn’t really mean much when it was difficult getting by. Since we had such a dearth of food , my father went to Vietnam when I was three to find work and did his best to provide from afar. Meals back home consisted mostly of potatoes; anything else, especially fish, would be considered a rare treat.

I suppose the distance apart put a strain on the marital relationship. My parents divorced when I was eight years old; at the same time, I found out I had a new mother, three younger brothers, and a younger sister in Vietnam. With my father still in Vietnam, it was up to my grandma to raise my older sister and me. My grandma meant the world to me. While she insisted that sister stay home and work on the farm, she gave me the opportunity to attend high school. Like my sister, most kids stopped going to school after middle school and worked the farms. I cannot stress enough how fortunate I was to be able to graduate from high school.

In 1963, the Vietnam War started. It was no longer safe to stay in Vietnam and my father uprooted the family in Vietnam and relocated them to the United States. He was always looking for better opportunities for the family. They settled in a two-story house in the city of Los Angeles. In the year of 1984, my father registered for me to immigrate to the United States. I was 25 then. I knew no word of English. I didn’t even know a word of Chinese. The only form of communication I excelled at was my native dialect of Hainanese.

Just like my father, I decided to take advantage of my opportunities here in America. Back home, I had to work to help uphold the family. There was no time to pursue my interests. In the United States, I got a rudimentary job sewing in a factory to help out the family but I also got to enroll in adult school night classes. Imagine my excitement when I received my first ever paycheck of thirteen dollars! The excitement is pretty much comparable to the excitement high school seniors feel today when they find out they’ve been accepted by their dream college.

I found out that I really excelled at sewing.  I was learning quickly and, practically in the blink of an eye, I found myself working at Venus Bridal as a pattern maker. It wasn’t long before I enrolled at Trade Tech to further the knowledge and skills I had accumulated in fashion. By 1990, I had opened up my own bridal shop on Temple City’s buzzing “Bridal Boulevard,” had collected enough funds to buy my own house, and had developed enough skill to be receiving freelance alteration and pattern-making jobs from local bridal companies – I even worked for David’s Bridal at one point.

None of this could have ever happened to me had I stayed back in Hainan. America had opened doors for me. While there were days when I faced fatigue and stress, I always tell myself that life here was is a big improvement. My siblings are less than an hour drive away (driving, by the way, is one of the things I wish I didn’t have to deal with…it’s that part of Hainan that I miss) and the weather in California is very much reminiscent of home. I think it’s safe to say that my home is now in America."

Studio Starter: Equisite Corpse

Studio Starter: Diptych

In today's studio starter, we were given twenty minutes to create a diptych about anything that we wanted. I had some pretty good ideas at the start such as the water bottle island out in the Pacific, my go-to of consumerism's impact on the world, and the effect of monocultures...but then the idea I ran with hit me at the very last minute.

What are your thoughts when you see this? 

I got so many great responses from my Studio classmates. Someone even actually hit the nail on the head on the message I had behind the diptych, but everyone else who responded had equally amazing interpretations.

"Asian Elements in Everyday Life" Walk

The walk, titled “Asian Elements in Everyday Life,” relates to the location chosen through its interaction with four major landmarks along the walk’s path. While the concept of the walk is applicable to almost any other area in New York City, this specific concept was influenced by the venues along the streets connected to 5th Ave. “Asian Elements in Everyday Life” interfaces with the venues through a tour-guide like structure. Participants are introduced to common Asian elements by “dining” on dim sum at CafeTasia on 8th Street, learning about drinking traditions (and sipping tea) in front Warehouse Wine & Spirits on Broadway, participating in basic tai chi stretches in Washington Square Park, and learning about religion and certain Asian legends outside a church on 5th Avenue. The majority of the walk is done through the guides sharing brief blurbs of the culture and traditions found in Asian nations. Some participation will be required in that walkers get the opportunity to dine on rangoons, have some tea, and also do some tai-chi - they will leave with a fuller stomach, a more awakened state, and an opportunity to quench possible thirst.. They will also be transformed with a greater knowledge of the everyday Asian elements that can be easily experienced even in a setting such as NYC.

Classmates enjoying that yummy rangoon "dim sum" - of course, they had to eat them using chopsticks or none for them!

       Although the walk does not specifically address any issues, it can be interpreted as means of gaining a better understanding of Asian culture in daily life. Western society has often looked upon Asians as just one mass consensus and this walk will allow participants the opportunity to distinguish some of the varying elements among the Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, and other Asian cultures. The art in the walk focuses more on the interpretation of Asian culture than the actual art. For example, the process to crafting a crab rangoon is art in a culinary sense. Like an artist selecting his medium and colors, a chef must choose his ingredients and culinary tools. Both are looking to emulate something in their work. Likewise, the art in tai chi is in its patience and movement; the poses and stretches bring a grace and fluidity that is almost performative.

Tai chi stretches to help reinvigorate our tired selves. 

Initially, the group had trouble coming up with a solid concept since we all had such a wide array of interests. When our first plan of trying to integrate all the interests together did not work out, we knew we had to go in another direction. Luckily, our new concept has a common ground that makes the task all the more easier to accomplish.The walk is also adaptable for group members who may not feel as comfortable working in the spotlight. A group member can be a part of the team or work from the sidelines when groupmates are introducing an activity or explaining an element of Asian culture in daily life. For example, while one or two of us are talking about the traditions behind drinking, a group member can be prepping the tea and passing it out to the walk participants. While this group member won’t be in the direct spotlight, he or she will still be greatly integral just through handling the items involved in the walk. For all we know, this person could have greatly contributed during the planning and prepping stages.

Subway Stories

Two weeks back, my Studio class took a field trip together out to Van Cortland up in Queens. To get up there, you need to take the 2 or 3 train up to the 96th Street station and then transfer to the 1 and take it allllll the way to the last stop. While on the 1 train, the class divided up into roughly groups of two people per car and had to write an observational narrative about two people we saw in our car.

Here's my first one:

       A woman sits directly across from me with her young boy. He looks to be about 4 or 5 years old. On his light umber curls is a yellow crown with the face of a smiling duck on the front. The mother - let's call her Tanya (she looks like a Tanya) - has the same light umber hair. Her most distinct features are her hazel eyes, a beauty mark right below her right eye, and most importantly, her protruding belly carrying another child. Perhaps it's another boy? Perhaps a girl? It's impossible to tell. What I can tell is that she is tired. Tanya wears a bright red knit jacket, comfortable blue jeans, and brown moccasins. In her right hand, she holds her son's Angry Birds backpack. In her left hand, she holds onto the hand of her little boy. She momentarily takes off her left moccasin to reveal her toe nails painted a creamy beige. Again, Tanya is tired - her eyes are glazed and she focuses on the speckled black flooring of the subway car. She must have just picked up her young one from school. It's about that time where kids get off school. After a few stops of being lost in her own thoughts, Tanya quickly shuffles her child off the car and mentally plans out tonight's dinner during the walk home.

Now for my second one.

       As I take a last glimpse at this man, he continues to munch on his bacon and cheese sandwich. He wears a black cap, a red sweatshirt, and red Nike sneakers. He sits comfortably. There is no one left to disturb the space he has claimed as his throne. The car is empty save for around twelve or thirteen people all engulfed in their own bubbles. While the subway pulls into the next station, he swiftly picks up his bags, adjusts his thick-rimmed glasses, and saunters out the car. The whole time I sit here and write about him, he continues to jubilantly much on his sandwich. It must have been a nice afternoon treat considering he left the car with a smile. Now that is someone who really knows how to appreciate his food. 

Cross Strait Relations Exhibit

A piece that really caught my eye in the current exhibit being housed in the Stephen Kellen Gallery, titled Cross Straight Relations, is the piece titled Bloom (Blob) by Heman Chong. 

Sometimes it amazes me how something as simple as the repeated use of self-adhesive stickers can result in something that can be perceived as art. There can be such a complexity behind the process behind the pieces. As noted in the accompanying text, "something as banal as a colored sticker is transformed metaphorically from a singular, unlinked cell into a larger collective mass." While the bright vibrant flashes of blue, yellow, green, orange, and red make this piece a really intriguing piece to look at (I thought it was like a color blind test piece), the text notes the suggestion of something more malignant like "invasive or violent gathering masses". Another thing to take note on is the fact that its composition is done on-site of the location. Each sticker placed is done so in relation to the actions of the artist's own choosing so that each time this piece is presented it varies. How cool that a banal act of placing stickers can be such a reflection of an artist?

Let's sit back, observe, and ponder. 

Where You Reside?

Ritual Wine Container (hu)

Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC), 

Warring States period (475-221 BC), 5th century BC

Bronze inlaid with Copper

29.100.545

----------

As it turns out, my mother's surname, Song, originated somewhere between the Shang and Zhou Dynasty after the previous dynasty had been overthrown and the folk there decided to take on Song as their surname to honor their period of rule over China. 

Who knows, I may have had a relative use this for pouring rice wine during a ritual way, way back in the day.