Mapping Memory
Mapping Memory
Mapping Memory is an ongoing community art project by artist Don Kwan that explores the cultural and historical landscape of Chinatown's across Canada through visual storytelling. The project responds to the absence of formal archives by gathering personal narratives, memories, and images that reflect the lived experiences of residents past and present.
Rooted in themes of cultural memory, resilience, and belonging, Mapping Memory is both a creative act and a form of resistance against erasure and gentrification. By mapping these untold stories, Kwan creates a living archive that affirms the significance of immigrant histories and the enduring legacy of Chinatowns as a site of identity, care, and community belonging.
​
So Nui . Yet Keen Seniors' Day Centre . Ottawa Chinatown . 2024.
The Hop Hing old store 1975“
​
"I owned the building with my mother. After it was renovated, my husband and I opened the Chinese grocery store in 1975. We lived in the back of the store. At the time people were friendlier with each other. There were newcomers who didn't know how to cook so I would teach them. Everyone helped each other. The shop ran until 1985 when we leased the business. Later we renovated the store and opened the Gloucester Restaurant & Bakery.” So Nui.
Rainbow 1 hour Photo 1985 - 1990 (Pink Panda Video Centre)
Currently occupying the location in this photo (above) is the Miam Miam General Store. But at one point in time, The Rainbow 1 hour Photo Centre was the business next to my families intergenerational restaurant of over 50 years, The Shanghai Restaurant. Long time resident So Nui rented this space to open a photo shop. “The owner was the same as the Yang Sheng's owner." So Nui had this photo shop from 1985 until 1990. At the time, it was the only photo shop in Chinatown. In the photo: Sue's husband, Sue's nephew, Nephew's wife, Sue's sister-in-law.
Gloucester Restaurant & Bakery and Rainbow 1 Hour Photo 1991
This shop opened in 1991 . “We had the photo shop in the basement. It was also a franchise VHS rental shop. On the ground floor we sold cakes and Chinese buns. We ran this shop until 2005 when I retired. I was the person in the red sweater inside the shop. We sold the space later and it is now a pho restaurant.” So Nui