Visual ethnography: The Queen(s) & the Star(s)

Interview about HK identites; clips of interview with Chimo

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Where is my sea?

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“當某些事情被反覆論述時, 這些事情其實和原來所指距離了多遠? 變成了甚麼? 擴展到甚麼? … 集體回憶中的集體是怎樣構成的? 我(地)有無份? 我(地)是個體, 還是集體中的個體, 還是…??”

:: Introduction to my project

My original plan was to collect allegories about Hong Kong and through collecting and analyzing, to investigate how Hong Kong stories are interpreted and represented, as well as what symbols are being used and concerning about what lied behind the constructions of such narratives. The initial idea is definitely promising, but as what I foresaw, the scale was too big and I had to slim it down.

I started with browsing videos in youTube which are search results of keyword “Hong Kong” or “香港”. Most of them are tourism promotion videos, history documentaries and advertisements. My observation is they are full of stereotypical Hong Kong “icons” or “images”, for instance, a sailing boat in the Victorian Harbor, or a middle-aged chubby Chinese guy showing the audience a langouste.

I focused on identifying stereotypical icons of representations of Hong Kong, and then discovered that there is always a way of speaking lying behind these grand narratives of Hong Kong stories. Hong Kong is portrayed in a particular way which we all Hong Kong citizens are familiar with, in and only in representations. The portrayed Hong Kong images are imaginary ones, somehow is not really the Hong Kong we are living in.

Several terms are being over-used without careful considerations. “Collective memories” and “Hong Kong local identities”, etc. “Memories of Hong Kong” become no more personal, but discourses. Some ways of speaking are suppressed, while some are being dominant.

I then decided to confine the scope to only two overt symbols, “the Queen” and “the Star”. Obviously, these two symbols would be connected to current hot cultural issues which are the fight about conserving the tower of Star Ferry (天星鐘樓) and the Queen Pier (皇后碼頭). Meanwhile, these two symbols are embedded with a strong impression of the colonial period.

I interviewed five Hong Kong local citizens, beginning by asking them whether they would identify themselves as a “Hong Kong-er” (香港人) or not, then gradually went into their personal memories of lives in Hong Kong, towards “the Queen’ and as well as their views upon “the Queen” ’s issue. A collection part is also included. I invited the interviewees to provide me something representing “the Queen” and select from a batch of pictures which are representations of “queen”. Then I asked them to recall if any more “queens” are still remain in Hong Kong. The last part of the interview, I gave the interviewees several passages I abstracted from the internet which people wrote about “the Queen” ’s issue, and asked them to select a short piece and read.

Based on the interviews, I then went to take photographs and collect videos of what the interviewees recalled as the remaining “queens”.

In the following part, I will discuss how the process is and what my discovery is of the research.

:: Research process and discoveries – interview part

I started the interviews with asking the interviewees that, if they would declare themselves as a “Hong Kong-er”. Following this very first question, I then asked them to recall significant issues or memories they would put as highlights to signify their teenage lives in Hong Kong. As the framework was set to discussions about Hong Kong identities and collective memories, in the following parts the interviewees automatically direct themselves to think of and respond to my questions within the field. I actually just used the term “queen” in stead of “the Queen Pier” until the interviewees used the term themselves, but all of them made connections themselves already. As the frame applied, we were speaking in common language which “queen” was signifying issues about “the Queen Pier” and moreover, topics about cultural conservations, collective memories and also space politics.

In the interviews, I actually played with “the Queen” in different levels, cultural and semiotic. One question was, “Where else can we still find ‘queens’ now in Hong Kong, as you could recall?” There were diverse responses.

Colonial histories

“The Queen” icon obviously represents the whole period of colonial history to Mrs. Kwok as she focused on mentioning places about the colonial period.

For Chimo, he mentioned some share places as Mrs. Kwok, but he focused more on the figure of queen. For example, he mentioned the sculpture in the Queen Square and Victoria Park.

Monica made associations based on colonial period’s memories and geographical relation, as she mentioned the journey on Star ferries crossing the harbour, while pointing that the pier she often used is near the Queen’s Pier.

Carol jumped from memories of Hong Kong to the United Kingdom. She described the ambiguous identity of Hong Kong-ers being in UK and the strange intimacy between the colonial empire and the citizens of the colony.

Big Jump

Maze, which is a very special one, associated varied examples as she took “queen” not only as representation or symbol of colonial history, but to more extents. For example, she mentioned the “queen” in Disney cartoons and the “Queen’s Cake Shop” in Festival Walk. Also, she mentioned “Queen’s Road Central” and “Queen’s Road East” because of linguistic connection, then she further associated to a song of Law Tai Yau, and more she linked to a film which the protagonist sang the song in. This is certainly a good demonstration of lateral-associative thinking and also a game of semiotics, which one signifier can actually signify diverse signified(s).

Maze’s association is also revealing how complex the symbol of “queen” is embedded in our cultural knowledge network.

Besides questions and discussions, I put some activities into the interviews, which is the second part of it. These activities have their own significance and stirred different kinds of discussions. They are also creative-collecting activities collaborated with the interviewees and I.

:::: Pictures of “Queen”

In the second part of the interview, I gave the interviewees a batch of printed images, which are search results of Google using keywords “皇后”, “女皇” or “queen”. Google’s search results are not only confined to those of Hong Kong, so “the queen” here is of more representations from all over the internet. Pictures tagged with “queen” differ a lot from “queen” in discourses of “queen” in Hong Kong, but here I bring these two aspects together by asking the interviewees to select picture(s) to represent their “queen” in such context.

::::: Collecting “Queen”s

I asked the interviewees to provide me some materials which could be collected by me as a representation of “queen”. I actually had a idea of collecting coins with icon of Queen Elizabeth bear in mind, but I did not suggest to the interviewees. However, all of them thought of the same idea with me. It is so strong to see that coin with “queen” is a shared deep memory of Hong Kong-ers from different ages and backgrounds.

The collecting activity stirred discussions from interviewees and rouse memories of everyday lives with coins. The coins are ordinary things we used almost every day but seldom pay attention to. Interestingly, Carol joined the interview with Monica after I interviewed her and they two discussed about the coins. Monica said she thought that coins were with “queens” as she had used for years and did not notice that now most of the coins have been changed into “flowers” [the Bauhinia]. She could not find even one coin with a “queen” in her purse. Then Carol made her contradicting comment, which she always thought that coins were with “flowers” in stead of “queens”. It is obvious to notice that Monica was born and grown up in colonial period while 1997, the year of handover, is just Carol’s.

::::: Reading about “Queen”

The passages I gave the interviewees were mostly abstracted from blogs where Hong Kong people wrote about the Queen Pier’s issue. All the interviewees said they did not read these passages so as the blogs before, and the main source to know about the issue is from TV news or online newspapers. I provided them an opportunity to read these passages but meanwhile the availability of articles is restricted by me. I then asked the interviewees to select one or more short paragraphs which they had strong feelings or they thought it is important to read. This is a multi-layered-selection and read-re-read process. The articles were selected by me and then by the interviewees, and then read by the interviewees, recorded and watched by audiences.

After reading-out, I asked them why they chose such paragraphs. Through the above activities, interviewees made dialogs to the writers. Reading-out others’ writings is like an echo. Audience will perceive the writings through the interviewees’ mouths, which consist of multi-layers of interpretations and performances.

::::::::: interviewing as an actively provoking activities (event level)

The interviews were not merely “collecting views”, they were events.

In the interviews, personal memories were raised upon the grand narratives of collective memories. Individual voices were preserved. The interviewees expressed their own interpretations on the same issue which were really diverse and surprising.

The interviewees got opportunities to articulate themselves. All of them reflected that they seldom talked about such issues, but they are actually full of opinions waited to be discovered. They did mention that they thought they were “powerless”(Monica) and “had no rooms”(Chimo) to speak up.

In front of the camera, the interviewees spoke more formally and really dug into the issue which I had not had such discussion with some of them before. So here the camera’s presence is significant, it provoked.

:: My interventionist game

Based on the interviews, I did some follow-up works. I took what the interviewees recalled as “Queen” and then went to sites they mentioned, to play a generative game.

Photo-taking adventure

I took pictures of what they mentioned and also during the walk, took pictures of things or scenes consist of symbols or printed words of “queen” or “star”.

I tried to locate the places where I might not pay attention to before and really went there to take a photo. Then I marked on the map where I took the pictures and the map will be shown in my installation to let the audience connect the taken photographs and the geographical positions.

Through such activity, I locate the “memories” mentioned by the interviewees into the living real places through my act. I really experience the places (or things) which previously were something heard from others, and turned into my own memories.

Also, the adventure was completed by me, so the photos taken were the  interpretations of their memories by me, the ethnographer. It is shared authorship. In the interview, I first decided questions and directions to work with, then the interviewees’ responses became my rules and drove me to somewhere totally unexpected.

I and the interviewees, we together constructed alternative interpretations of “the queen” and becoming subversion of the discourse of collective memories of the Queen Pier.

Video : “Where is my sea?”

Passing through the new Star Ferry pier, walking alongside the harbour, I saw blockades which prohibited me from seeing the Victorian Harbour. I then took my DV camera, started from the first blockade, walked along the coast until I could see the sea without blockade again. With the help of the apparatus, I recorded the whole journey and turned into a video called “Where is my sea?”. Audience can experience the whole walk with me which surprised me that it took so long to see the harbour again. Also, scenes of the sea coast road were preserved. And for me, I created my own memory of the Queen Pier and Victorian Harbour .

:: Final output and my creative decisions

The final output will be an installation, an assemblage of my collectibles and my responses, which consists of video of interviews and “Where is my sea?”, photos taken in the generative game, a map with marks, collection of coins with “queen” and a small booklet with my own reflections.

The installation comprises of different interpretations rooting from the symbol  “queen” and “star”. Dominant discourses are re-considered and challenged but there is not a given new answer. So the title of my work is called “The Queen(s) and the Star(s)”. The “(s)” is emphasizing open-ended answers and questions.

– video / interview ( in DVD + booklet) : archives + my reflections (reflexivity)

I put the interview footages into a DVD within very simple editing, aiming at preserve the entire interview and make it accessible to audiences. I added few texts as my highlights instead of full transcript. Those highlights were keywords or sentences caught me most when I second read the footages. I wrote my reflections and printed into a small booklet to be put beside the television for audiences to read. The writings of mine expressed what I thought as a researcher and emphasize the presence of the researcher. Instead of single-channel video broadcasting, I choose the DVD format as I would like to leave room for audiences to surf through the DVD on their own choices, sequences and skip or pause or fast forward if they want. Also, they could refer the DVD to the booklet, to surf through these two media and choose what to read.

– video / “Where is my sea?” + map : highlighting

The video “Where is my sea?” is also put into the DVD. The coast line I walked through to shoot the video was highlighted on the map shown in the installation. Such setting let the audience to refer my representation to the geographical position of the pier and the harbour.

– photos displaying : archives + performative

As the above video, the photos will be shown and also marked on the map where they were shot. Varied kinds of images suggest diverse ways to interpret what “queen” and “star” could mean.

– collections

Collections of coins were put in plastic conservation bags and will be shown in the installation. The collections are input of the interviewees, in which they become participants, a more active role. Also, the act of putting the coins into bags is an act of conservation. Meantime, coins in bags can be symbolizing the suppressed, buried or dust-laden memories of colonial period.

:: Conclusion and evaluation

Operations during research

Camera skills should be enhanced and recording style and framing should be considered more carefully for the sake of editing and creative treatment. Some backgrounds of interviewees were too noisy, which caused difficulties in adding texts and diminished the visual qualities.

Cultural level

Beginning with interviews I gathered lots of information about how my interviewees thought of Hong Kong identities and issues about the Queen Pier. I gained knowledge of what other aspects of Hong Kong is like which I do not know from their memories and share views with them.

The collecting activities led to surprising results as the interviewees actively recalled memories and expressed views which I do not expect from my decided questions.

Processing materials and documenting

The process of making documents is not done quite well. I was over-optimistic and overlooked the workload I was going to encounter, so I was running out of time after the first stage of the research. I actually have not yet tagged and coded all my documents, as well as analysing them. This led to the difficulties I faced in the creative intervention part. So the output can only be considered as an assemblage of my research process and creative activities I have gone through. But this would be an excellent lesson for my graduation thesis and other research-based projects.

Materials gathered are to be made into documents in more careful decisions afterwards, in order not to minimize the lost of details.

But yet I like the diversity of materials that I collected, and displaying such diverse materials is a worthy activity for audiences and I.

After the process of making documents, detailed analysis is to be done. Drawing graphs and creating hyper-text documents would be helpful.