A commission for the City of Redmond to celebrate immigrant-led food entrepreneurship + migration stories during Redmond Lights Festival
As part of the City of Redmond’s annual Redmond Lights 2021 festival, Ahoy! Ahoy! is a 7 ft x 12 ft temporary ground mural at Redmond Downtown Park that centers on 5 community-suggested dishes by immigrant-owned businesses local to Redmond. Steeped with the cultural heritage and practices of their passengers, the dishes act as travel vessels making headway across the waves, mirroring the migration pathways that so many people have taken to make Redmond their home. The mural is situated at the entryway of the park, inviting all who enter to embark upon a shared journey of migration in whatever fashion they choose: jumping from plate to plate, laying upon the waves, or traveling alongside the water’s course.
The featured immigrant-owned businesses in the mural are Rocky's Empanadas, Jawhara Cafe, Kanishka Cuisine of India, Stone Korean Restaurant, and Sip Thai Bistro.
Design, Fabrication, and, Installation
To create the mural, I began with conducting community research both digitally and non-digitally. I posted an online survey in hyperlocal Facebook and Reddit groups and received 30+ responses from local residents on their favorite immigrant-owned businesses in the area. Out of the crowdsourced suggestions, I chose 5 businesses representing East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Muslim, and Latinx food diasporas and blended both popular spots and small mom-and-pops. I then interviewed the small business entrepreneurs about their migration stories, entrepreneurial experiences, and signature dishes. Next, I hand-painted the dishes with watercolor and created the finalized mural design on Adobe Illustrator. I worked with Studio 3 Signs to fabricate the aluminum outdoor floor graphic and personally installed the mural at Redmond Downtown Park.
As a piece created for and by the community, it’s my hope that this ground mural will foster a shared journey of migration and bring these stories of celebration and resilience to the front and center of Redmond’s attention.
Documentation
