Clan of the Painted Lady: Jennifer Chiu's Intimate Documentary on Hakka Heritage

Clan of the Painted Lady: Jennifer Chiu's Intimate Documentary on Hakka Heritage

A still camera frames an elder in her family kitchen. She is tidying up surfaces with a towel and inspecting the pipes of the sink. The dim lights create distinct contours of shadow and light. A voice emerges from beyond the frame—Dad, can we film you smoking outside? A man’s voice responds: No. His wife finishes drying her hands and looks at the camera, shakes her head and walks away. The lens lingers on the frame without subjects. A narrator’s voice sums up the interaction for viewers: ”In my community, many things are left unsaid. For my family, privacy is both a virtue and a protective measure. It is also a wall.” 

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Solarpunk Zine Making as a Ritual of Grief

Solarpunk Zine Making as a Ritual of Grief

I’m hunched over a folding table at Enabling Arts. Marker ink on my first zine spread is still wet; it mingles with the deep-fried scent drifting off the Jollibee chicken and fries I’ve saved for later. Snip, snip—someone’s scissors keep a heartbeat beside me. On the page, I’ve written: i feel guilty while others suffer in quiet rooms. but grief and joy can live together after Lapu Lapu Day. Zine making, I’m learning, is a space where comfort and agitation coexist.

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