Displacement from one’s homeland can cause nostalgia and a confused sense of identity. Looking out at a New York cityscape it’s easy to superimpose Hong Kong’s over it.
Witnessing traditional Hong Kong style dining evokes memory and even hunger.
Ethnic identity: changing faces on the tram. Where does the sense of self reside? How do you recognize yourself when you step outside your comfort zone?
Trying to stay in sync with the speed of the city can be exhausting. Speed causes compression in the body, while slowing down creates expansion.
Since 2007 the reform of Hong Kong’s electoral system is slow. Thoughts are created by culture, often without providing nourishment for the self. Sometimes we need to exit from the tram in order to rediscover ourselves.
Currently, approximately one third of Hong Kong residents (more than 200 million people) live in public housing rental units, which are often small, cramped and narrow. What is the way out of self-limiting patterns? Do architectural structures such as this photo shot at the Oi Man Estate contribute to our sense of entrapment?
What distinguishes men’s street from a women’s street? Temple is a place of reverence, a place to be quiet, listen and have revelations about life and its mysteries. Although there are many things happening on Temple Street, in this photo we focus on the fortune teller: what the future brings, what to expect or hope for, a guide for our actions. Listening to the soothsayer may be a form of reverence for the intuitive sense of the unknown. The mystery. Or a hoax. Who’s to say?
As chain restaurants take over cha chaan teng is disappearing How do we identify the self within the physical world? Can we live in a culture and not be defined by it? Can you separate a person from its society?
One country, two systems. The distinction between the Chinese and Hong Kong citizen.
The mystery of transformation and delight for every culture.
identity
This work was done in collaboration with Stanley Chow on the subject of identity as it relates to Hong Kong. We have merged forms to experience an expansive way of seeing “identity.” More about this is posted on my blog.