Unknowing participants of this Fluxes Happening were invited to come to an environment where Chinese dim sum are served within an art dance party. In reality the karaoke party audio, strobe light, ephemera and dim sum scent are all fabricated, and the participants are not able to access into the ‘party’. The happening attempts to explore the idea of peripheral experiences and the effects of the Chinese cultural diaspora during the present days of the ‘global village’ phenomenon. Calling into question the notions of authenticity through signs and signifies, the symbiotic fascination of the west to east and east to the west and the appropriations, hybrids and lost in translations that happen along the way. The installation consists of various elements of music and light performance, video piece, food scent and reinterpretation of cultural ephemera.
The first iteration of this project was funded by Nocturne Halifax Festival & Arts Nova Scotia and generous in-kind support of Tour Tech East, Ventura Reality, Basil Audio-Visual and Crombie Reit.