morris lum

Title: New Cultural Topographic

Published: Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

New Cultural Topographics explores cultural immigration and integration in the suburbs of the Greater Toronto Area. The work creates an image of suburban identity through the structure of the plaza. The plazas selected best represent the changing cultural patterns of various ethnicities that have created their own communities in the outskirts of Toronto.

Furthermore, another significant element of this series is the fact that I have chosen to focus on an aspect of my own cultural identity and my Chinese heritage. One of the reasons for this emphasis is the strong visual presence of the Chinese community in the suburbs of Toronto. At the same time, I am also interested in the hybrid nature of the suburbs, where, in the case of a plaza, you may encounter a Chinese restaurant beside a Caribbean roti house and a Tim Horton’s. In fact, this unique mix of cultures echoes my own hybrid heritage. I am ethnically Chinese but born in Trinidad and Tobago, and I moved to Canada in my childhood. My father was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, and my mother was born in Macau, China. This hybrid nature of identity, traces of migration patterns and the development of cultural centres is central to Canada’s identity both human and architectural.

In many ways, the plaza is the monumental signifier of North America in that it represents consumerism and cultural diversity. With the help of a 4 x 5 camera I have made panoramic images that represent these typical and yet unique plazas on a monumental scale. Shooting at night has allowed me to focus the viewer’s attention on the plazas themselves, and to stage an encounter with the brightly lit symbols of the Chinese culture.