NARRATIVE
In Chinatown, displacement has been an ever more present reality — in fact, there have been two previous Chinatowns before the current one which we are familiar with today. Historically, alleys were a place of gathering and filled with vibrant life. It can hold hidden vegetable stands, tables to eat, or a place to rest and smoke a cigarette to escape from the working pressures of life. This project elevates the alleyway to a place of community, protection, and ultimately a celebration of Chinatown’s delicate yet culturally rich heritage.
From afar, a visitor would first notice a large lantern-like structure that is lifted off the earth, a beacon reminiscent of Chinatown's iconic neon signs. As a visitor enters the site, they are greeted with a view of the corridor. Immediately adjacent to the left is a massive wall that stems from the ground protecting the group studio from the street front. On a hot summer day, the sliding door opens up as artists migrate their workstations into the corridor. The conversations held by community members, artists, and visitors fill the entire alley. In the winter months, the sliding door remains closed inviting artists to cozily work indoors. As one progresses further down the group studio, there is a light faintly illuminating from the roof of the building guiding the viewer around the wall and into the earth. While descending the stairs, the warm air gushes out and fills the ambiance where the kiln and glaze studio lay grounded in the earth. Climbing out of the lower level and back onto the ground level. the beacon is gently suspended off the ground. One must walk beneath the lantern beacon paused by a moment that opens up to the sky above, visible are the clouds that are passing by. The gallery is illuminated by the sun, the rays shining onto the ceramics created by local artists. The choreography of the people begins to connect as one, emerging as calligraphy on the surface, behind a translucent screen.
From beneath the beacon extends a public, mixed-use courtyard that connects with the alleyway and onto Hing Hay Park. The space is open to the public, and protected by the walls of the shop and cafe to continue the notion that the alleyway is a safe place to gather, relax, and live. At times the courtyard is a tranquil space for people to contemplate while other times it's filled with the echoing sound of the gong, booming firecrackers, or banging from the loud drums on Chinese New Year. The life of the courtyard can be clearly observed from the café space and around the corner is the metal and woodshop protected by walls sprouting from the ground. When the sun is just high enough for a fraction of a second, reveals a staircase within the wall that leads up to the private studio, secluded from the commotion down below.
A space is only valuable when it is used, lived in, dirtied, crowded, bustling, and burning with energy. The space can be as much a refuge or as a symbol of resilience and belonging.
Historical Mapping
Presentation Board
1/8" 3D Model
Interior Shots
1/16" 3D Model
Hybrid Drawing - Cafe Perspective
Alley Collage Exploration
