in her dress in my skin
This photo essay depicts a granddaughter’s embodiment of her grandmother’s traditional Chinese dress, cheongsam. This is a process towards a form of cultural preservation that contributes to understanding the many Chinese Canadian immigrant stories alive in Toronto. The garment is used to symbolize the diaspora community and immigration process of a (female) Chinese immigrant and the narrative as a result. The relationship with the dress also materializes relations between several generations, specifically that of matriarchal lineage. The expression of self through clothes is refracted by family histories of migration and wider patterns of cross-cultural influence.
