My homeland community project was held under the umbrella of Hong Kong Festival in Sunnybank community centre, Brisbane.  One day public event opened to local Brisbane Hong Kong community, not restricted to other ethnics and local community.

As a newly trained Art therapist in Australia with Hong Kong background it would be meaningful if I could use my skill to facilitate individuals on a cultural and social level.  The theme was  “My Homeland” which aimed to be socially engaged, participatory and relational.  The project centered around the theme and worked through three phases as a symbolic expression:-

1. The background, the HK map collage on canvas created in a studio by artist therapist. 

2. Personal drawings created in the venue, the community center by public participants

3. The merging of drawings from the participants and the collage done by artist therapist. 

There are visual questions need to be addressed upon the theme on how to validate Hong Kongers’ experiences with which they had been through these years,   how to present a collective sentiment within a cultural and social context,  how to achieve therapeutic effect without compromising artistic quality. 

The participants of all age group worked on a given instruction which was short and easy to understand. Various color papers printed from the studio provided for participants to choose from and work on.  They felt safe and were free to draw in a private corner of the venue. 

Getting the participants to see and talk about their drawings, to experience tearing & gluing their own work onto the canvas.  With these action, the merging of their work with the background reminded us of our childhood schooling in Hong Kong and the reward of good works “貼堂” (displaying good works on notice board in classroom) where at the end of the process may evoke wider sense of confidence, acceptance and completeness.

One of the participants who had raised her concern about gluing her drawing on top of the collage could ruin the whole canvas . Yet my hybrid role of being involved in the artwork production and meeting people in the community has expanded my capacity go beyond the perfectionist mind.  Perhaps a way to exercise what we used to call the Australian value - inclusiveness. Another teenage boy with his little sister who enjoyed so much with her drawing suddenly came to me and saw the imprinted text at the bottom right corner of the canvas challenged me and fiercely asked, “ What do you mean by Vanishing children of Hong Kong?” I had no idea how to explain this to him but simply saying that there‘s something had happened in Hong Kong.

The systematic oppression that Hong Kongers experienced are still harming. Several social events followed by the political upheaval forced them to leave their homeland involuntarily.  Moving to a foreign land and to start a new life can be stressful. Family separation, unresolved fear & loss of identity. For these negative emotions impacted greatly to the health of the individuals should not be neglected. Hong Kongers need to go through it with encourage not by numbing their feelings for survival.  Regular art practice such as drawing, painting or collaging as form of emotion healing can bring them joy & calmness. 

I have to admit that those participants may not have full experience of art therapy on the day because of the open environment with distraction such as games and performance. However this project as part of the event encouraged connectedness where individuals could feel less separated.