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Wintermelon and Falling Leaves
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: May 2022
Artist: Christina Poon
Medium: Film and Book
Object number: GD.2023.327.CC.1-2
DescriptionFilm and publication. Film is stored on HD.
Description by the designer: “Wintermelon” shows the varying perspectives my brother and I have as British-Chinese siblings whilst focusing on these differences in an attempt to understand each other. Using old VHS-8 footage, archived images and filmed video portraits, “Wintermelon” connects cultural identity within family relationships - the narrative concentrates on my Brother's side, with my view as a tool for comparison. Hopefully, my work can encourage you to resonate with these stories as we both navigate the fact that we are Chinese on the outside regardless of the circumstance.
“Falling Leaves” is bound by a hybrid of Coptic and Chinese four-hole stitching, this publication aims to show four different perspectives on being a Chinese first-generation immigrant in the UK. Each person is interviewed on their first experiences living in the UK, their current feelings and where they feel at home most. However, the publication also includes some of their interests, what they like to do in either China or the UK, and bring insight into their character and how they’ve lived here.
The book tells their story through film photography, archival images, and kept objects. It’s for an older generation of British Chinese citizens, for the people who may not have the voice to tell their experiences. The cover is UV printed on Japanese sage book cloth. I laser printed on Munken Pure Rough paper and Meadow Grass paper (with cut grass and marigold).
By understanding and utilising archives as an underlying tool in community storytelling, I seek how place identity can impact our cultural self. I aim to capture the in-between of these identities whether harmonious or in conflict, and also preserve authenticity to these stories through the accurate portrayal of their lives.
Description by the designer: “Wintermelon” shows the varying perspectives my brother and I have as British-Chinese siblings whilst focusing on these differences in an attempt to understand each other. Using old VHS-8 footage, archived images and filmed video portraits, “Wintermelon” connects cultural identity within family relationships - the narrative concentrates on my Brother's side, with my view as a tool for comparison. Hopefully, my work can encourage you to resonate with these stories as we both navigate the fact that we are Chinese on the outside regardless of the circumstance.
“Falling Leaves” is bound by a hybrid of Coptic and Chinese four-hole stitching, this publication aims to show four different perspectives on being a Chinese first-generation immigrant in the UK. Each person is interviewed on their first experiences living in the UK, their current feelings and where they feel at home most. However, the publication also includes some of their interests, what they like to do in either China or the UK, and bring insight into their character and how they’ve lived here.
The book tells their story through film photography, archival images, and kept objects. It’s for an older generation of British Chinese citizens, for the people who may not have the voice to tell their experiences. The cover is UV printed on Japanese sage book cloth. I laser printed on Munken Pure Rough paper and Meadow Grass paper (with cut grass and marigold).
By understanding and utilising archives as an underlying tool in community storytelling, I seek how place identity can impact our cultural self. I aim to capture the in-between of these identities whether harmonious or in conflict, and also preserve authenticity to these stories through the accurate portrayal of their lives.