My current research investigates unused, forgotten dwellings within fading Hakka culture to provide a poetic focus for the preservation of memories through the construction of miniature dioramas. Hakka, where my ancestors come from, is an ethnic group known for its unique architecture and form of residents, whereas the branch in Guangdong China is facing extinction. A large number of buildings have been left abandoned in Hakka villages due to migration, including my ancestor’s house. They carry a spatial sense of ‘out-of-joint’ (Derrida) which raised my interest in ruins. Along with migration, the ‘spiritual core’ of Hakka architecture, the cultural core of the clan gradually disappears, leading to the decline of cultural cohesion.
As the first part of the PhD research, Handmade Childhood presents as a series of miniatures, elaborates on the experiences of three generations — me, my father, and my grandfather — travelling through abandoned Hakka villages. It is a thread to express concerns about the forgotten dwellings: The gaze upon the overall concept of ruins — focusing only on the direct display of desolate beauty in ruins, while ignoring their causes, cultural roots, and historical changes.
The abandoned childhood dwellings may evoke a sense of an end, yet they are not just endpoints; on the contrary, they are the beginnings of the future, of being retold and reinvigorating their value.
Trailer
Exhibition View, Unfolding Narratives, London, 2024.
