Shadow Wall: Stories of Chinatown

Like the amorphous nature of distant memory, shadows are projections from the physical world that sometimes are clear-cut and other times vague. Regardless of how shadowy a memory might be, it is still able to carry the essential sentiments of the past. The Shadow Wall is an interactive exhibit that puts forth the memories of people who have spent their formative years in Manhattan's Chinatown. By positioning your own shadow to match theirs on the screen, you can trigger and experience each collected shadow memory through narration, old photos and atmospheric video.

This exhibition shares a select number of intimate stories of generational relationships, community organizations and overall the love and work that has gone into maintaining and growing Chinatown. Although it is only a small slice out of the neighborhood's vast collective memory dating back to its founding, these intimate stories were selected with hopes to encourage the viewers who are not familiar with the history of Manhattan Chinatown and the purpose it serves to be more curious about life in the neighborhood beyond the transactional.

Meet Chinatown

This installation was part of a weekend event Meet Chinatown (09/18- 09/19/21) organized by Welcome to Chinatown — a non-profit organization that raises funds to support Manhattan Chinatown’s small businesses and neighbors. The event was also in partnership with Billionaire Boys Club and Slim Cinema. The weekender invited people to explore and get to know the neighborhood at a more in-depth level through various activities, including a scavenger hunt, trailer screening and this installation.

Throughout the weekend, visitors of all ages and backgrounds - including residents of the neighborhood, stopped by this installation in Chinatown to interact and engage with the stories presented in the Shadow Wall: Stories of Chinatown.

interaction design and tech

The Stories

8 people were interviewed and featured for this exhibit. The stories ranged from recounting personal memories growing up, memories of meeting their partner for their first date, their experience immigrating to the US, being part of the first Asian American basketball league in the US, memories and tributes to their parent and family members — all of which feature Chinatown as the backdrop. They also vary in age, occupations and time spent in the neighborhood.

The stories were collected through a series of interviews, which were then distilled into scripts for 2 min videos in collaboration with the interviewee. Each story has been narrated by the interviewee themselves with the exception of Julia’s and Tim & Barb’s. The interviewees also generously submitted their old family photos for this exhibit.

The people I had gotten in contact with were through the Welcome to Chinatown organization as well as my own network of friends.

Acknowledgements

This exhibit could not have been possible without the individuals who generously shared their personal stories and the organizations that contributed their archival materials.

Personal Stories and Photos

Olivia Szeto - In Loving Memory of her father Lam Szeto
Julia Lu and David Lu - Ballroom Dancer and Instructor
Susan Lee - Development Consultant
Felix Li - Writer
Tim and Barbara Pan - First Date in Chinatown
Nick Lee - Rockits League A.I.A (Athletes in Action)
Jenny Liao and Christine Deng - Mother and Daughter
Loe Lee - Illustrator and Designer

Images

Title images courtesy of photographers Edward Cheng, Jook Leung; and the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (L.E.S.P.I):

Cheng, Edward. A Selection From Chinese American New Year. Chinatown Lens on the Lower East Side, 2018, p. 47-57.
Leung, Jook. Mott - Mosco Street. Chinatown Lens on the Lower East Side, 2018, p.68-69.
Leung, Jook. NYC Chinatown CNY 2020. Chinatown Lens on the Lower East Side, 2018, p.70-71.

LESPI

Lower East Side Preservation Initiative - LESPI - is a grass roots, not-for-profit organization formed in 2007 that is dedicated to preserving the historic buildings and streetscapes of the traditional Lower East Side, which extends from the East Village to below Chinatown.

https://lespi-nyc.org/

Sounds

Field recordings in title video courtesy of Sounds of Chinatown:
"Lion Dance 3 - Bayard Street"
"Man Playing Flute on Mott Street in Front of Fay Da Bakery - 83 Mott Street"
"Columbus Park Card Playing - Columbus Park"
"Lion Dance 2 - Mott and Pell Street"
"Columbus Park Busy Scene - Columbus Park"

Sounds of Chinatown
Sounds of Chinatown is a collaborative, community-focused project that aims to record the unique sounds of New York City’s Manhattan Chinatown and encourage people to think about this historic neighborhood through its soundscape. Our goal is to draw attention to how sound and noise influence individuals and communities. This work builds on previous community-based strategies to mitigate the impact of long-term construction of a mega-jail in Chinatown on the health of neighborhood residents. To learn more about their work, watch Construction and Older Adults produced by Sounds of Chinatown and Hamilton Madison House.”

www.soundsofchinatown.com
IG @soundsofchinatown
FB": www.facebook.com/SoundsofChinatown

Videos

Background videos courtesy of Slim Cinema. "Meet Chinatown B-Roll", 2021.

SLIM
Slim Cinema is a New York based production start-up focused on telling stories for the mobile world. Since 2015, Slim Cinema has hosted four one-of-a-kind Vertical Film Festivals highlighting a new class of creators, artists, and musicians. Alongside highlighting stories among the community, they have done commercial work with brands such as Nike Jordan & Staple as well as been featured on BBC Global, Kulture Hub, Culture Trip, and others.

www.slimcinema.co
@slimcinema