Spectacle

Spectacle is about the expression of my experiences, memories, and cultural identity as a Chinese/Vietnamese refugee looking at the impact of recent economic developments in Saigon and how it affected me on a personal level when I revisited the city of my birth.

During my trip, I spent most of my time walking around the city. As I looked around, I was also aware of the visual images of what I was seeing recalled memories that formed ghostly images of my past. At the same time, these ghostly images were blending with the new landscape in Saigon city.

These portraits are also mixed with a series of photomontages, in which I have combined one image with another in smooth transitions, for the two images to appear to merge into one. Even though the images have been montaged, there are many shifts of perspective and proportion between the landscape and the people in it. The viewer will be able to feel they have traveled in time through these visual images.

© Dacchi Dang, 1996 All rights reserved