Everything Changes And We Should Respond To It
Change, although not always poetic, is an inevitable human experience, and with change, we learn to grow with it. or the Chinese immigrants to Australia in the late 1850s; that change was met with racism, exclusion, hostility and discrimination for years as they tried to call Australia home. They made what was labelled Chinatown, a pre-eminent space where Chinese immigrants created a space that gave them a sense of home and communal belonging amidst the unwelcoming white-dominated environment. For those living in Sydney, change was frequent, especially during the 1980s when the country declared itself a multicultural society, pushing these spaces as a home icon for Australian multiculturalism, where it has become increasingly dependent on non-local and non-Chinese patronage.
“Everything changes, and we should respond to it” is a graphical intervention that pays tribute to Chinatown's past, present and future. The project acknowledges the historical significance while looking towards the future as an ethical enclave and cosmopolitan hub with strong connections to Asia. With deep roots within Chinese-Australian culture and references that allude to traditional Chinese culture and its long and deep history that started from the Rocks, the project utilises bright neon signs that have always been symbolic sources within China and other Asian countries to inscribe meaning and attachment to Sydney’s Chinatown. The intervention attempts to revitalise the space and continue to create a modern atmosphere where people can celebrate their identities without an overdetermining idea of their culture. It serves as a reminder to all those visiting that this space is an area of constant change and the struggle that the Chinese-Australians have experienced over the many years, but it also recognises that Chinatown has evolved into a home to many Asian-Australian identities, becoming a transnational urban space.
I took inspiration from imagery and scenes found across Chinatown Sydney. Some imagery and sketches are references to historical figures such as King Fong who was a respected member of the Chinese community and hawkers who sold vegetables and household goods door to door during the 1850s. The following images (below) are excerpts from the project booklet. Each image and line are instilled with meaning and reference a point in Chinatown's long history in Sydney.
Dixon Street is a pedestrian mall located in Haymarket. Originally it was a timber storage yard up until the 1920s when Chinese people began to move here due to the relocation of wholesale goods and catered for the growing population by opening up businesses such as cook shops, and then gradually, grocery stores, restaurants and butchers to meet the Chinese population. It is here where the traditional Chinese archways can be found as well as a variety of Asian eateries and local goods. This would be a great location for the project as it is where there is a lot of foot traffic where different groups of people come and go and where people would classify ‘Chinatown’ to be. This place has a rich connection and history with the Chinese population as it was one of the first places to be built when Australia declared itself a multicultural society. The signs are positioned the way they are is because many people enter through the archways at the bottom of Dixon Street as it connects to the light rail and Market City. The story of the project begins at the start of Chinatown to the 1850s and as you walked down it, will come to understand the changes and history of Chinatown before poetically seeing the ending sign “Everything changes, and we should respond to it,” to remind us of the necessary human experience of change, but also to remember the past and look towards the future.
