The 'C' Word
November 11, 2009
Cancer Talk
Cancer Talk
So much news, so many words, so little hours in a day.
Earlier this year, I submitted a proposal to an art project sponsored by Bloomberg through Hong Kong YAF - Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation. That application was not successful, but YAF contacted me a few months later about tweaking the project and re-submitting it to Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fund-raising effort that supports a broad variety of charities and causes throughout Hong Kong.
'The "C" Word' was then granted just over half a million HKD as one of 13 beneficiaries of 2009's OSC funding. Before your eyes bleed out of your sockets, no, Santa won't be supporting my personal Blahnik habit.
Essentially, the project seeks to use my personal creative expression to evoke the same from other young adults (between18-35 years) experiencing cancer, to encourage them to reflect upon their feelings, stories and journeys, to find strength and positive energy in that creative expression.
Structurally, it will involve a series of creative workshops encouraging participants to find their inner voice to articulate their experience with cancer through the written and/or spoken word, colour psychology, photography and visual media. These workshops will be documented and the culmination of expressions will be exhibited to the public at the end of the program.
As project artist of 'The "C" Word', I will facilitate most of these workshops, leading this expression through primarily a voice narrative of my own, in both recorded and discussion format, invoking formulation of thoughts, emotions, or any kind of mental state into creative constructs such as writing, photographs and collage.
I have been blessed with the ability to express myself in more ways than one, with just enough aggression to be vocal about anything I experience, and the desire to reach out and touch. Cancer is a mindfuck, sharing the experience normalises the shock, irons out the kinks, alleviates the pain. But not everyone can find the voice to manifest what they're going through. Trauma happens to those who live to tell, or else there'd just be fatal accidents. So why not be creative about it, too.
'The "C" Word' relies heavily on concepts of art therapy as bases of its structure, but I hesitate to label the program 'rehabilitation' or 'therapy' to avoid expectations of just that - it's not about achieving a rehabilitated state, we're not prescribing a cure. It's the creative journey I'd like to share and give.
And there will be tears, anger, and dark things I cannot imagine, which is cool, we'll share that too.
The workshops for 'The "C"Word' is scheduled to begin in March next year, with the exhibition tentatively planned for June, 2010. Through the public exhibition, we hope to demystify many of the conceptual barriers that surround cancer: it's not a disease that only happens to old people, it's an epidemic that affects people of all ages. Working with art education specialists, the program will also include guided tours of the exhibition for student groups and social workers, offering an interactive element, broadening the reach of the project to beyond the 80-100 workshop participants.
South China Morning Post and Radio Television Hong Kong are the key organisers of OSC, which means, have a laugh with me when you see my pic in the Post, or hear me on radio.
I was informed of the grant the first day I started working at Ooi Botos Gallery. As double-whammy-new-beginnings go, that pretty much scores unbeatable for me. In preparing for an upcoming exhibition of a Beijing-based artist at the Gallery this month, I put my various composite skills to use once again, establishing much desired routine and stability in my days that were beginning to irk me with nonproductivity. Managing the gallery suits me, like wearing high heels. Ooi Botos focuses on contemporary art photography, how snug a fit is that?
The fact that I've learnt to slide an update on my health down towards the end of an entry is not to be interpreted as a sign of priority-shift, far from it. It demonstrates rather, my increasing level of acceptance of the Big C into my life. Yes, I'm dealing with more metastases - to the liver, lower spine - and the tumours in the pancreas are decidedly taking up more real estate. But the key takeaway here: I'm dealing. There were two days when I dove even deeper into that now familiar black hole, drowning in an abyss of questions, self-doubt, denial. I was fragile, volatile, vulnerable, surprised it wasn't getting easier each time I got there. Though again, the operative noun: just two days. OK, maybe three.
I have just begun a regime of chinese herbal medicine and qi gong practice with a diet of strictly no bird, little meat and even less shellfish. Fresh, hot lawn in a bowl every day, while I picture peking duck and pigeon sauntering triumphantly behind me round the race track here in Happy Valley. Something's gotta give, and guinea fowl, it is! Have I denounced conventional, allopathic medicine completely? Have I turned my back on the sole practice on which I, and my siblings, were raised? I don't know, does oscillating between religions make us less faithful followers?
Somewhere in the meantime, I enjoyed yet another epic birthday celebration this Scorpio month. Sunshine, sailboat, seafood, imported Shanghai, local frenzy, crazy cousins, scary toe-gloves, shocking balloons, cake and more cake, I couldn't possibly have laughed more that weekend. 'Thank you' doesn't quite express how grateful I am for those moments shared with YOU.
Ann is here, too! New job, new gym, sisters in the Valley!
Pass on the "C"word if you know someone between 18 to 35 here in Hong Kong living with cancer. It ain't so dirty a word after all.
Earlier this year, I submitted a proposal to an art project sponsored by Bloomberg through Hong Kong YAF - Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation. That application was not successful, but YAF contacted me a few months later about tweaking the project and re-submitting it to Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fund-raising effort that supports a broad variety of charities and causes throughout Hong Kong.
'The "C" Word' was then granted just over half a million HKD as one of 13 beneficiaries of 2009's OSC funding. Before your eyes bleed out of your sockets, no, Santa won't be supporting my personal Blahnik habit.
Essentially, the project seeks to use my personal creative expression to evoke the same from other young adults (between18-35 years) experiencing cancer, to encourage them to reflect upon their feelings, stories and journeys, to find strength and positive energy in that creative expression.
Structurally, it will involve a series of creative workshops encouraging participants to find their inner voice to articulate their experience with cancer through the written and/or spoken word, colour psychology, photography and visual media. These workshops will be documented and the culmination of expressions will be exhibited to the public at the end of the program.
As project artist of 'The "C" Word', I will facilitate most of these workshops, leading this expression through primarily a voice narrative of my own, in both recorded and discussion format, invoking formulation of thoughts, emotions, or any kind of mental state into creative constructs such as writing, photographs and collage.
I have been blessed with the ability to express myself in more ways than one, with just enough aggression to be vocal about anything I experience, and the desire to reach out and touch. Cancer is a mindfuck, sharing the experience normalises the shock, irons out the kinks, alleviates the pain. But not everyone can find the voice to manifest what they're going through. Trauma happens to those who live to tell, or else there'd just be fatal accidents. So why not be creative about it, too.
'The "C" Word' relies heavily on concepts of art therapy as bases of its structure, but I hesitate to label the program 'rehabilitation' or 'therapy' to avoid expectations of just that - it's not about achieving a rehabilitated state, we're not prescribing a cure. It's the creative journey I'd like to share and give.
And there will be tears, anger, and dark things I cannot imagine, which is cool, we'll share that too.
The workshops for 'The "C"Word' is scheduled to begin in March next year, with the exhibition tentatively planned for June, 2010. Through the public exhibition, we hope to demystify many of the conceptual barriers that surround cancer: it's not a disease that only happens to old people, it's an epidemic that affects people of all ages. Working with art education specialists, the program will also include guided tours of the exhibition for student groups and social workers, offering an interactive element, broadening the reach of the project to beyond the 80-100 workshop participants.
South China Morning Post and Radio Television Hong Kong are the key organisers of OSC, which means, have a laugh with me when you see my pic in the Post, or hear me on radio.
I was informed of the grant the first day I started working at Ooi Botos Gallery. As double-whammy-new-beginnings go, that pretty much scores unbeatable for me. In preparing for an upcoming exhibition of a Beijing-based artist at the Gallery this month, I put my various composite skills to use once again, establishing much desired routine and stability in my days that were beginning to irk me with nonproductivity. Managing the gallery suits me, like wearing high heels. Ooi Botos focuses on contemporary art photography, how snug a fit is that?
I have just begun a regime of chinese herbal medicine and qi gong practice with a diet of strictly no bird, little meat and even less shellfish. Fresh, hot lawn in a bowl every day, while I picture peking duck and pigeon sauntering triumphantly behind me round the race track here in Happy Valley. Something's gotta give, and guinea fowl, it is! Have I denounced conventional, allopathic medicine completely? Have I turned my back on the sole practice on which I, and my siblings, were raised? I don't know, does oscillating between religions make us less faithful followers?
Somewhere in the meantime, I enjoyed yet another epic birthday celebration this Scorpio month. Sunshine, sailboat, seafood, imported Shanghai, local frenzy, crazy cousins, scary toe-gloves, shocking balloons, cake and more cake, I couldn't possibly have laughed more that weekend. 'Thank you' doesn't quite express how grateful I am for those moments shared with YOU.
Ann is here, too! New job, new gym, sisters in the Valley!
Pass on the "C"word if you know someone between 18 to 35 here in Hong Kong living with cancer. It ain't so dirty a word after all.