Art Metropole

23 Sep. 2023

Book Launch, Reimagining Chinatown: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction

Time

2-4 pm

Join us Saturday, September 23rd from 2-4 pm for the book launch of Reimagining Chinatown and film screening of Chinatown 2050 (18 mins) in conservation with authors Eva Chu, Eveline Lam, Amy Yan.

What lies ahead for Toronto’s Chinatowns? Reimagining Chinatown attempts to answer this through a collection of speculative fiction stories written by Chinatown youth. This anthology, accompanied by a short documentary film, collectively reimagines Chinatown to bring about a more generative and expansive future, confronting the urgent need to ensure Toronto’s Chinatown remains an affordable, safe and culturally meaningful home for all.

With live readings and a panel discussion with authors Eva Chu, Eveline Lam, Amy Yan.

There will be a book signing following the talk.

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Reimagining Chinatown Book Reading | editor: Linda Zhang | 2023 | Canada | 15 min author reading

These nine stories by Chinatown youth describe Chinatowns: those of the past, those that were moved, those that are redesigned and lose their character, and those of the future. They describe the importance of Chinatown as a source of Chinese identity, a familiar meeting place for people, and a place to find foods, ingredients, and medicines not found or understood elsewhere. By speculating on the year 2050, their stories offer a visionary act of resistance, uncovering new possible futures and shedding light on untold pasts.

Bios:
Eva Chu (Author) is a Queer Taiwanese Canadian who is intrigued by the question of identity and its intersections. She looks to explore how communities, experiences, and locations inform and change this eternal musing.

Eveline Lam (Author) is a maker who moves between research, craft, and architectural work. She graduated from the University of Waterloo Master of Architecture program in 2017 and continues to practice illustration and ceramics in both traditional and digital mediums.

Amy Yan (Author and Illustrator) is a designer who enjoys drawing and painting in her spare time. She is interested in telling stories with her work and in finding new ways to be able to convey a narrative, both visually and spatially.

Linda Zhang (Editor) is an architect (OAA, AIA) and founder of Studio Pararaum / Para Lab as well as an assistant professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. Her spatial practice and research in Chinatown Toronto supports community ownership and anti-displacement through architectural co-design.

Chinatown 2050 | directors: Linda Zhang, Maxim Gertler-Jaffe | 2022 | Canada, United Kingdom | 18 min film screening

Five stories were visually adapted using 3D scans of Toronto’s Chinatowns to create immersive experiences where authors share their dreams, hopes and fears for Chinatown. In these interconnected future worlds, we encounter a Chinatown that cannot be contained, a home that is always changing and challenging us to be more expansive and inclusive in our shared vision of the future. It reminds us that ‘Chinatown’ is not just a place but a lived experience, a community’s way of life, and an act of resistance.

This film has been generously funded by the Ontario Arts Council.

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