Tong Yan Gai (唐人街 – Chinatown) — Select Structures
Since 2019, I’ve explored the role photogrammetric scans can play in cultural preservation and the affordances of interactive documentary and virtual reality as a method of civic engagement. If I can document a moment in a photo, can I document memory and a life from a photogrammetric scan?
Tong Yun Gai (唐人街) is an ongoing work of select structures, objects, and places from Vancouver and Toronto’s Chinatowns. A combination of historical landmarks and iconic staples within the community. When one thinks of Chinatown, what feelings does it evoke and what structures call out to one the most?
You can view my ongoing documentation work here at Chinatown.VR on Instagram.
All scans were rendered using Agisoft Metashape.
Millenium Gate (Right Lion)
Pender Street — Chinatown Entrance, Vancouver
Scanned August 29, 2020
Furama Cake & Dessert Garden
248 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Scanned September 24, 2020
Tap Phong Trading Company
360 Spadina Ave, Toronto
Scanned April 27, 2020
Three Murals Charting Vancouver Chinatown’s History by Cheng Shu Ren (Arthur Cheng)
490 Columbia Street, Corner of Pender Street, Vancouver
Scanned: August 13, 2020
University Settlement, Grange Park
Toronto
Scanned January 30, 2020
Goldstone Bakery & Restaurant
139 Keefer Street, Vancouver
Scanned August 29, 2020
Grange Place Mural
Grange Place and Dundas Street Intersection
Scanned November 20, 2020