Posted on May 27, 2022
A new app guides visitors through NYC's Chinatown with hidden stories
454
5
1
3
3
0
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/27/ [login to see] /family-associations-app-chinatown
Composer George Tsz-Kwan Lam has always liked writing music inspired by places.
"There are all these places in Chinatown that are both hidden and meaningful," he says, stepping out of the way of passersby while leading a tour of the neighborhood. "To uncover some of those hidden things in a city walk that you might not ordinarily notice — I wondered, is there a piece in that?"
It turns out there's not just a piece, but a whole app.
Lam interviewed five Chinese Americans from around the country, asking them about their experiences in Chinatown, plus questions about their ancestors, their families, their memories. He then set the answers to music, the instruments drawing attention to each person's distinct pattern of speech.
Composer George Tsz-Kwan Lam has always liked writing music inspired by places.
"There are all these places in Chinatown that are both hidden and meaningful," he says, stepping out of the way of passersby while leading a tour of the neighborhood. "To uncover some of those hidden things in a city walk that you might not ordinarily notice — I wondered, is there a piece in that?"
It turns out there's not just a piece, but a whole app.
Lam interviewed five Chinese Americans from around the country, asking them about their experiences in Chinatown, plus questions about their ancestors, their families, their memories. He then set the answers to music, the instruments drawing attention to each person's distinct pattern of speech.
A new app guides visitors through NYC's Chinatown with hidden stories
Posted from npr.org
Music
New York City
China
Apps
Foreign Language
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 1
2
2
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."These stories aren't about the family associations; instead they're about the Chinese American experience and how they've felt supported by Chinatown, whether their particular Chinatown was in San Francisco, Boston, New York or elsewhere. But Lam says he thinks of the app itself as a kind of virtual family association, connecting these Chinese American voices with each other, even if they've never met.
And he hopes to connect with visitors, too — at the end of the soundwalk, users are given a chance to record their own memories.
"The idea is that later on I can incorporate some of these memories either into the piece or into another part of the piece," he says."
..."These stories aren't about the family associations; instead they're about the Chinese American experience and how they've felt supported by Chinatown, whether their particular Chinatown was in San Francisco, Boston, New York or elsewhere. But Lam says he thinks of the app itself as a kind of virtual family association, connecting these Chinese American voices with each other, even if they've never met.
And he hopes to connect with visitors, too — at the end of the soundwalk, users are given a chance to record their own memories.
"The idea is that later on I can incorporate some of these memories either into the piece or into another part of the piece," he says."
(2)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google