Student's collaborate with community to Build a Collective Memory of Chinatown
Through intergenerational storytelling with more than 200 community members, Let's Build a Collective Memory of Chinatown is an exhibition that explores how shared memory, imagination, and co-design can build community power.
Students developed the exhibition as part of Assistant Professor, Linda Zhang’s 3B option studio alongside community members through interactive workshops at Cecil Community Centre, Scadding Court Community and ERA Architects.
Focusing on architecture as a medium for community-led memory and storytelling, the students were asked to think about the architectural strategies, methods, and materials used to help build community-led memory, heritage and stewardship.
Waterloo Architecture students and community members collaborated through a series of interactive workshops.
Starting with traditional architectural site analysis, the students delved into archival research at the City of Toronto Archives and the Chinese Canadian Archives to build a detailed historical understanding of the neighborhood's evolution. From this, they reconstructed models of lost Chinatown community spaces and businesses, which became pivotal in community storytelling, co-mapping, and co-designing initiatives that connected the past, present, and future.
Interactive co-maps of Toronto’s Chinatowns weave personal stories with collective hopes for the neighbourhood's future.
The exhibition explores how shared memory, imagination, and co-design can build community power. “Cold” memories anchor Chinatown's legacy of anti-displacement organizing and mutual aid traditions. “Hot” memories celebrate Chinatown as an everyday, dynamic, and active space. Together, these memories honour Chinatown’s past while reminding us that Chinatown’s story is still being written every day.
Co-design models reimagine present-day spaces while honouring Chinatown’s history of placekeeping.
Artifacts, models and drawings from the exhibition have previously been displayed as part of various community events including a community gathering at the location of Kwong Chow Restaurant, for talks at the Chinese Cultural Centre, at the Kensington-Chinatown Local Immigration Partnership Network’s annual Newcomer Welcome Fair and more.
Following the installation at Riverside Gallery, the exhibition will travel to Chinatown for an all-day Asian Heritage Month Event on May 30th presented in partnership with Kensington Chinatown Network.
Architectural models use archival documents to reconstruct displaced landmarks, igniting old memories and new possibilities.
Let's Build a Collective Memory of Chinatown is on display at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Riverside Gallery until Februrary 25, 2025.
The exhibition features work by Samira El Badaui, Kayla Estacio, Lana Dang, Cindy He, Jenny Hu, Khadeejah Kazi, Avory Lai, Alisa Lau, Jhony Li Feng, Tina Lin, Nathan Man, Areeba Saleem, Derek Shin, Jacquelyne Jane Villaspin.
Co-designed with Eva Chu, Christie Carrière, Bryan Hong, Sharon Hong, Phyllis Lam, Chiyi Tam, Shulan Tien, Beryl Tsang, Julie Wang, Angela Wang, Amy Wang, Eric Wang, Wendy Yang and Linda Zhang.
Co-presented by UWSA 3B Option Studio (Zhang), Planting Imagination, Cecil Community Centre and Scadding Court Community Centre.
Chinatown memory collectors an article by current Waterloo Architecture MArch student Simon Liao takes a closer look at the process through conversation with some of the voices behind the exhibition is online now at Spacing Magazine.