Lost in Translation

As an Australian-born Chinese and the third generation of an immigrant family, most of the cultural aspects and traditions are nothing but strange concepts to me. The series expresses the young generation’s everchanging interpretation of their cultural values while relating to typical Asian families’ strict dining courtesy.

The project includes a set of simple ceramic vessels: a rice bowl and two serving plates. The series is inspired by the well-known blue and white rice bowl that thrives in China; many know it by the name Ming dynasty. The vessels are made of stoneware clay by slip-casting, mimicking the original making and duplication of hand throwing when it was first created in the 19th Century. It is then manipulated into irregular forms, symbolising the shifting and uncertainty of such traditional culture. Its unusual form also encourages users to hold the vessels where it is bent and curved, considering the particular dining courtesy that Asian families strictly apply; elaborating that these certain behaviours appropriate to one’s dining experience vary among other families.

As the ceramic components act as the broken link between us and our background, the chopsticks proposed the opportunity we have in reconnecting with our cultural heritage. Drawn from my Japanese heritage, the utensils are made in brass, in resemblance to gold, symbolising the art of Kintsugi – the golden joinery. Despite the similarities between both Chinese and Japanese culture, the chopsticks emulate the fine line in differentiating each significance. Fitting in between the deformed ceramics, it does not only represent me as the inheritance of both cultures but also highlights the imperfections of the shattered relationship with our origins and aims to repair said relationship.

In conclusion, the series focused on the Asian dining ritual, expressing the contemporary shift of our culture and demonstrating the typical and strict dining courtesy many elders pursue. Despite the disconnection with our background, it is never late for one to recover the lost knowledge and appreciation of one's cultural heritage. The project compacted many aspects of how the newer generations of migrant families would define dining rituals within us, yet in the end, it is left for one to interpret themselves.