Questions About a Word
2024
High definition video
1920 x 1080 pixels
14 minutes 45 seconds
"Questions About a Word" is a short video essay exploring the experience of linguistic barriers. Drawing from my experience of learning English as a second language, and reflecting upon it in conjunction with the Chinese-English linguistic ephemera from the Victorian gold fields, this video essay examines an English-learning technique that uses phonetic-based idiosyncratic writing, a technique that has been employed by generations of Chinese immigrants. By juxtaposing historical accounts of trauma against a backdrop of Australia’s troubling past with contemporary narratives in today’s complex sociopolitical landscape, this video essay sheds light on the reality of linguistic barriers, inviting audiences to reflect upon their experience of language exchange in the contemporary multicultural Australian context.
Stills from moving image