About

For River

Film

7:23 total run time.

2016

In “For River” I climbed street poles at sites of human trafficking and created an embodied altar using tools of my Cantonese heritage. I prepared my team with information about what happened at the site, and we prayed for those trafficked at each site. I wore a jacket with a letter (prayer, resources, and the ‘For River’ narrative). The item of clothing contained material of a comforter that was one of the first items my mother bought after immigrating (symbolizing the mother-daughter bond and calling in ancestral care). At the top of the pole, I took off the jacket, a symbol of sacrifice, and tied it around the top of the pole. By placing pole dancing in the streets of Oakland this piece acts as a direct conduit to the folks trafficked at the specific site. The ritual pole work aims to both honor the site and disrupt daily norms - forcing passersby to see what is often unseen or ignored.

This ritual performance was filmed in full and played on a durational loop at galleries via projector, with a gallery-specific alter to trafficked folks underneath the film. The alter includes an offer to add written prayers or other objects, and slowly collects items and prayers as it moves through sites.

Funding: Destiny Art’s Center

April-May 2016: Qulture Collective in Oakland, CA

April 2016: Queer Emerging Artists Resident’s Final Show & Exhibition Panel