{old [new] Horizons}
by Liu Chen
[A somber sinophone stringed instrument plays in the background.] [Soft, studio-like voice-over]: Like often happens with immigrant grandparents talking to their American-born grandchildren, one day my Ah-Kong launched into a history lesson about Taiwan over lunch... [narration fades out as the next voice, “Ah-Kong,” fades in]: …you know, my father was born in 19-zero-one. Who is about fourth generation of…
An animated self-portrait of/by Liú, which is a screenshot from the video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In the "photo," a trans non-binary person with short, stylized hair and a soft-femme outfit is sitting at a desk. They are smiling and waving at the camera. All around them are materials related to their thesis, "old [new] Horizons": A globe, a topographical map, a type-writer, a star chart, and a drafting table. The floor is a patterned tatami mat, and there is a record off to the side.
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Hi! My name is Liú, and my exhibit is called {old [new] Horizons}. In my exhibit, which is a proof-of-concept for my larger thesis project to be completed next spring, I use the recent video game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as a virtual location for an interactive and collaborative experiment in de-colonization and re-clamation. A lot of different forces came together in the creation of this project. Two of the most important ones are my drive to understand the experiences of my Taiwanese-Hakka grandmother and the community that I have found with other black, indigenous, and people of color folx in the queer/trans community. I hope you enjoy exploring what I’ve put together so far, and please fill out the participation survey if you would like to get involved as a narrator or collaborator!
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