Heritage Unseen challenges our understanding of Chinatown’s heritage and identity as defined by the Zoning By-Law No. 99-80 by the City of Toronto which encourages the emergence of Chinese motifs like “illuminated signs, street furniture and architectural detail”.
Divided by the experience of inside vs. outside, the exterior exhibits the material heritage that is encouraged and protected by the by-law, while the interior accounts for the immaterial heritage of Chinatown - the personal narratives that are often forgotten or erased. In this space, the user is invited to experience Chinatown’s past, present and future through the immaterial sights, sounds and microbial growths.
Toronto BIA Map of Chinatown West
Chinatown Business Improvement Area
City of Toronto
On January 21, 1980, Zoning By-law No.99-80 amended the Official Plan for the City of Toronto and designated a portion of Chinatown West an “Area of Special Identity'' encouraging “the emerging Chinese motif, such as illuminated signs, street furniture and architectural detail”. Whilst motifs do not represent a culture wholly— and the Chinese motifs in Chinatown originate from a long history of negotiating acceptance within mainstream society through self-strategic orientalization— we also recognize that these motifs and imagery have developed new meanings over time and have also become significant aspects of Chinatown’s identity and heritage today.
This project seeks to place such nameable and material representations of Chinatown’s heritage in dialogue with its immaterial and hard to name heritage(s). To do this, we started by collecting images that illustrate Chinatown’s material heritage. Using the Instagram hashtag #torontochinatown, our project gathered an assortment of images ranging from street vendors, to restaurant signs, to the graffitied walls, as well as festival celebrations.
