A Cinematic Schematic of Chinatown Resilience

Representing Chinatown Group Exhibit co-curated with the Center for Asian American Media and SFMOMA
SFMOMA, Koret Education Center
Interactive Mural / 38 ft x 10 ft
2022


A Cinematic Schematic of Chinatown Resilience is an interactive mural commissioned by SFMOMA’s Koret Education Center that honors intergenerational experiences and Pan-Asian solidarity within and around San Francisco’s Chinatown. By examining a selection of independent films presented by The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) over the past 40 years, this mural weaves together images and movements of resiliency captured through the lens of joy, intergenerational stories, placemaking, and community building.

This work celebrates the role of cinematography in archiving histories, reframing our narratives, and shaping our own cultural identities as a collective diaspora. This mural utilizes interactive sensor-reactive technology to activate specific thematic areas of design across the span of the mural. Visitors can hover their hands over specified areas and experience Chinatown through audio-visual content. When the sensor gets triggered, colored spotlights slowly highlight areas of the mural, activating background audio and immersing visitors in archival sounds that built the foundation of what Chinatown is today.

This mural pays tribute to the legacy of cinematic accomplishments across the selected films presented in this mural. Visitors are encouraged to experience the following films in the original format:


Forever Chinatown, James Q. Chan

• Chinatown Shorts: You Are Here, James Q. Chan
• Fall of the I-Hotel, Curtis Choy

• Chinatown Rising, Josh, and Harry Chuck
  

• Chinatown, Felicia Lowe
  

Additional Links
(Community Residency SFMOMA)