Substructure
- Source: Global Times
- [10:17 December 14 2010]
- Comments
Photo: Courtesy of CMC
By Lin Kan Hsuang
To celebrate International Migrants Day (on December 18), Compassion for Migrant Children (CMC) and the Migrant Resource Network had a festive event including a photo exhibition and band performances last Saturday evening at T Art Center in 798 art district.
"This is an exhibition commemorating International Migrants Day. We wanted to have it on December 18, but a lot of people will be away because of Christmas," said Yin Chia, communications and fundraising manager of CMC. She also mentioned that all the attending artists volunteered to give their time to sponsor this event. Marriott Hotel provided all the participants with the beverages and finger food for free.
Cindy Hwang (CYJO), a Korean-American photographer, showcased her photos featuring the migrants' hands, said: "The title [substructure] was used because it seems to represent these individuals quite accurately for me. Substructure is a word that means a foundation that supports the foundation, so the roots support the foundation. It's the under-layered, the infrastructure. These individuals are part of the roots because you can see their work within the infrastructure of China's development…they are just as important and just as much-needed as everyone else."
Nineteen photos were displayed, each with a small television screening the interview process. Only interviewees' hands and laps can be seen. "I chose hands because I want these individuals to be more free with expressing their stories and themselves. The hands made the individuals anonymous. To me, it's not about identifying people. It's about sharing stories. These individuals are migrants. They may not have official documentation. I want to protect their privacy," CYJO continued.
These high quality, limited edition, collectible photographs and video art are available for purchase. A significant portion of the purchase will go towards CMC, which operates migrant community centers in Beijing and Shanghai.
Alison O'Riordan, an Irish participant who's new in Beijing, said: "My roommate Jennifer she has started her own foundation. She works for the artist [CYJO] here. I am interested in the migrant workers. It's quite emotional to listen to different stories. It's kind of sad to listen to the stories. I will definitely follow up other CMC events in the future."
Da Long's (not his real name) daughter works for CMC. He said: "Migrants are indispensable. They've contributed immensely to the city construction and economic development. Moreover, my ancestors were migrants, so I have more sophisticated feelings. Migrants come to China's cities seeking a better life, but the truth is their living surroundings are terrible. We should concern ourselves about their children's education and healthcare problems, and also about the elderly migrants."
For more information: http://www.cmc-china.org/
