Fire & Earth
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Lined up
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Metal
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Earth
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Metal 2
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Metal
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Aerial View
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Working...

These past two weeks have been hectic.... Something tells me that I should have considered perhaps hiring someone to do the job for me hahahahaah., It's a LOT of work putting together those jars!! Thank goodness the weather's been really nice to me... Got a couple of cuts from the metal filings, but other than that - the ceder mulch smells quite refreshing!

I decided last night to put together a small flyer that I distributed to everyone who contributed to my project... (look to the left). I probabaly need to bring everything there on Monday.... Which reminds me that I do need to get the lawn table from Mel..... And a light, because there is no light source in that room- how terrific. Anyway, I think with all considerations I made the best out of a situation, and hopefully it will turn out good.

Wyns

..
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different colors
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another closeup
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.
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Flowers
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Why the five elements

There are several parts to this project that are of interest. I've decided to use the five elements to describe each response. The five elements are: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. Together they are the building blocks of life.

Water --> CBC--> Believes that he/she is half Chinese; half Canadian (black/blue)
[this element reflects adventure and exploration. It is relaxing and calming. Black is not a color- it is a lack or absence of color. However, when melted with another element it signifies a fusion of power.]

Fire --> Canadian (red)
[this element is signified by the color red, which denotes, happiness, prosperity. It is the color like fire that produces heat and warmth. When combined with other elements; it adds to it by producing comfort."

Earth --> Chinese (yellow)
[this element represents a connection to the roots. Yellow is the national color of old China, sacred to the emperor and assumed only by him and his sons or the lineal descendants of his family. This element represents balance and when combined with other elements provides a sense of groundedness and connection to the roots.]
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Wood --> Writes/Comprehends Chinese (blue)
[This element is the shelter element. Blue is a color that signifies tranquility; reflects love; heals and relaxes.When combined with other elements this element will overpower by providing a homey feeling of comfort.]

Metal --> Does not comprehend/write Chinese (White)
[Metal helps hold water and is created by the Earth. White signifies purity and honesty. When combined with other elements; metal creates balance and harmony.]

Each person's response, would then be a combination of one from each of the two categories above. Their responses are printed on the side of the bottles, and the colors are mixed from the two elements.

The Five Elements
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Here's Why

Reasoning.
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in a row
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numbered.
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the yellow one is the nicest one
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labels
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empty ones
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essence of cbc
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work in progress
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empty
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multiples
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more
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Essence of Chicken

Brand's Essence of Chicken - Traditionally, Chinese families double-boil (pounded) whole chicken to obtain the essence of chicken from its meat and bone marrows. The essence of chicken is consumed for good health and energy. This traditional formula has been reproduced by Brand's and it is commonly consumed by ASEANs during school exams, hectic and stressful periods. Research at King's College, London has scientifically proven that it increases metabolic rate. It contains no stimulants, fat, cholesterol, artificial coloring, flavorings or preservative. I used to drink this when I had to burn mid-night oil to prepare for my exams as a student or nowadays, when I go on business and/or hectic trips. This essence may be taken straight from the bottle, chilled, warmed or with warm water added. The entire contents of this bottle should be consumed at one time. Consume within 24 hours after opening.
Health tonics in ASEAN are synonymous with multi-vitamins, mineral or alternative supplements for maintenance of good health. However, these tonics are mostly natural and nutritious foods rather than processed pure extracts from foods or in synthetic form.
Traditionally, tonics were prepared at home by loving wives, mothers, or grandmothers. Wealthy families including the Chinese emperors consumed these tonics regularly such as weekly or monthly or even daily. Bird's nest or herbal mixes have to be bought from the local herbal stores, cleaned and washed, and then cooked (usually double-boiled) for hours before they are served. Double-boiling is a traditional method of cooking food away from direct heat. This cooking method is similar to using a Bain-Marie in a Western kitchen where the food is cooked by the surrounding "sea" of water instead of direct heat.
Modern working mothers often could not find time to cook these nutritious tonics for their children. Instead, the popular traditional formulas are now produced using modern food technology to retain the natural goodness and are made easy to cook or ready for consumption.
Here are some of the tonics I consume myself and have made them available here.

Website: Phase 2 : Added Update Area
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Website: Phase 2: Added confidentiality and privacy area.
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Website Phase 1 cont...
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Website Phase 1 cont..
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Website: Phase 1
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UPdate

So far I've gotten around 32 responses (that's quite a bit considering I only had it for a few days). Some of the answers were pretty funny, but some people were really serious, and the response that I'm getting from this project is surprising to me....

Sample Response:
1. What is one thing you had to do when you were growing up that no other kid on the block had to do? Being the youngest in the family, I was always nourished and protected by my family. Because of this, this may be one of the main reasons to my shyness. I remember way back when it was time for me to attend kindergarden. I had to open myself up from the 4 wall home barrier and attend school where asians was a minority. It was fearful at first, because not only did I have to go to school with no familar faces, but I was also stuck taking a school bus myself for the first time. The first few times were intimidating and scary, but after I met friends and began picking up the language, I managed to overcome my fear and also became best friends with some of the kids around my block. 2. Name a reason why you're proud to be CBC. I am proud to be a CBC because I love living in Canada. Canada is a multicultural place full of cultural diversity. I feel honoured to be part of it. 3. Do you consider yourself Chinese or Canadian? Why? I consider myself Canadian because over 2/3rds of my life, I've been living in Canada. I drink the water, breath the air and have set foot on the foundations there. Hong Kong is my root, but Canada is the place I call " home sweet home."4. Do you speak or write Chinese? I can speak Cantonese, but I can't really read or write it.

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As for my art project I'm not really sure what it is that I want to do for SURE yet, but I have some ideas. The materials that I will use to base the responses upon will have to be one that is respectable, unique to Chinese Canadians, not discriminative, self-explanatory and easy to use. It needs to reflect the responses that I receive, and most of them have funny responses about having to take leftovers from dinner for lunch when they were in elementary school and high school. It wasn't the greatest experience since nobody likes to smell Chinese food, and hence even though we know that we physically look different we now are being looked as an outsider even from the food that we eat.

I'll show you guys what I mean when I do it-
I'm also thinking about doing something with Chinese School paper (funny-looking thin pieces of paper with checker boxes on them).

Wyns

Creating Multiples

After sketchbooking for the entire evening trying to find out what exactly to do for this project- I've decided to explore the CBC culture. I find it oh so fascinating how we (CBC = Chinese Born Canadians) want so much not to be Chinese, but despite that our parents drill us so that we NEVER forget that we're Chinese. It's strange. It's like this whole culture of strangeness. Talking on behalf of my mother when I call up Rogers for example to help her with her phone bills, or calling up VISA and the typical, "can you speak to my daugher please, I no English."- is so common. Yet as strange as that is to most people (well at least to those whose parents could speak for themselves) we CBCs find that natural (forced-natural- doesn't matter). Then there's always this strange tone when I do get on the phone and talk for my mother, "sorry, my mom doens't speak English, can I talk on her behalf?"- oh the apolgies and then of course the rep on the line feels complete empathy and praises that your mother can speak English. Oh of course there is the "bring-your-Chinese-food-to-school" plan... that never ends up in complete embarassment. I remember opening up my tupperware and thinking to myself, "please, please be a sandwich- PLEASE." and it ends up being rice with some cut up fish lying on top of the rice and some soya sauce with some leaks on the side. I could hear people giggling around me already... "that smells Wynne- !!!" I throw my tupperware back into my backpack.... Oh, and of course when everyone's going out to McDonald's on Saturday morning, where do we get to go? CHINESE SCHOOL!!! For nine years of my life I was forced to attend Chinese school every Saturday morning from 9am - 12pm. It was like a never ending ritual that you prayed and hoped that it would end the following year- and that sleeping in on the weekends would be possible... and perhaps finally being able to go to a slumber party without having to leave in the morning.

Just a little background of being CBC- there are a TON of examples though, and of which I find them so fascinating because it shapes us- the basis of who we are. Although we are physically and genetically Chinese- we are not fully Chinese. In part, we are white on the inside, and we try very hard to be that way- some may dispute that and say that they're proud to be Asian, but the reality is that the way we were brough up we were always torn between the two worlds, and the truth is that really- we belong to our own worlds. The CBC, twinkie... the world of the "in-betweens", and instead of trying to be a part of another group, which is what we are constantly doing, why not be who we are- Canadian Born Chinese.

The question now remains is who are we? We are always in-between of different groups. We could be whatever you want us to be. We are a fusion of different cultures, but by doing so we have created our own customs, beliefs and rituals. Although they may not be evident, CBCs know what they are, but we never really talk about them in conversations, we just know what they are.

I would like to bring those expriences, rituals, beliefs to the surface and create multiples. For final piece will be a combination of responses and photographs from 100 CBCs. Specific questions will be asked, and they will be asked to return the information to me via email/regular mail. The result will be a wall full of documents, written and printed to keep as a record of who we are, and that we are something, something different, and something unique from other things even though we may have always seemed to be up in the air.

The questions that will be asked are very specific.
1. What physical feature do you possess that other CBCs also possess?
(this question is important because Chinese people could immediately distinguish if you are born in Canada or born in Hong Kong/China)

2. What's one thing that you do as a CBC that you find that nobody else other than CBC's need to do?

3. Name a reason why you're proud to be CBC.


I plan to do a test for this with some of my friends, and see what kind of responses I get... And I know that retrieving 100 responses isn't easy, but I want to do more, if I could do more than 100 I would. The more the better.

This is public, participatory and community art. I want it to reflect who we are and be proud of it, even if it means that sometimes we're caught up in the middle a little bit.

Wynne

Cullture....
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I think I know what I'm looking for.
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Asian Canadian... A blog set up for Asian-community news... Apparently they refuse to screeen "Memoirs of a Geisha" in China, because all leading actresses are Chinese;
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Chinese school.... Brings back memories. I'm trying to "jive" my inspiration. It's interesting though, because each province has its own Asian Heritage Month Festivals
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.... you need to see this video. this chinese woman is cooking friend rice with different colors to signify different races.,
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I'm intrigued
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just read the quote below... "there's a place for us out there. I know it. and if there isn't, we'll damn well make one."

I can't believe that wikipedia has an article about "jook sings"

http://www.diversitywatch.ryerson.ca/glossary/b.htm

Banana Boys (a blog that was inspired from the novel)

Ohmygosh

Maybe rambling on about things will exercise the mind.... so that inspiration will spit out - please do.

Language has played a huge part in my life. It has both helped me succeed and fail- in different ways. Succeed in a sense that it helped me cope with different groups of people, and feel like I belong in that group, whether it was a group of all Chinese people, or all Caucasian people, or all African American people... doesn't matter. Language made me feel like I was a part of "them". But who am I?.... I'm Wynne... I know that I'm Chinese, but apparently I'm not fully Chinese because I'm from here... But I'm not Caucasian either...

I'm torn between these two worlds, and longing to belong somewhere to someone... to call myself and be proud to call myself "something".

Here we go again.

I think that I finally got it- I finally understand what I want to understand. Sounds demented, but yes, I think I finally got it.

As I went back to my drawing board this entire week.... I realized that ultimately what I'm trying to say is very simple. I want to directly comment on the power of language, with respect to it's powers of allowing people certain opportunities over others.

I know that nothing is by accident, as Tanya says.... subconciously we chose to do certain things. I know that I chose to do this project about language because it meant something to me. During this whole week I continuously went braindead for ideas about this project and ripping my hair out because I am struggling to find out what the heck is it that I want to comment about language.