Vivian Chiu, Passages (those that carried us) (RECYCLED & RESCUED 2024)

Photos:

Vivian Chiu

Country:

United States of America / Hong Kong

Video tour:

https://vimeo.com/908318023

'Passages (those that carried us)', consists of vessels created from reclaimed heirloom wood crates gifted to me by Wing on Wo (W.O.W), the oldest continuously operating storefront in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The shop, now in its fifth generation of ownership under Mei Lum, is renowned for selling Chinese porcelain ware imported from Asia since 1890. The crates themselves have been dated back to at least the 1980's. Each crate panel is meticulously deconstructed, cut into hundreds of individually faceted pieces, and reassembled to resemble the ceramic vessels they once held. This methodical process preserves the crates' stampings and markings, serving as tangible traces of their journey from Hong Kong to the United States – a journey symbolically mirrored by my own migration, as well as the Lum family’s. Additionally, each piece honors the labor of the crate makers and artisans before me, as seen in "Bowl With Nails" which carries the steel nails kept throughout the crate dismantling process.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.