Lunar New Year 2023 celebrations at Museum of the Home will see a green spin on traditional East and Southeast Asian celebrations, focusing on issues around sustainability and climate change. Presented in collaboration with East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) community group Green Lions, Green Lunar New Year will see the Museum will ring in the Chinese Year of the Rabbit and Vietnamese Year of the Cat with a day of fun, creativity and reflection, seeking more sustainable ways to live in response to the climate emergency.
Visitors will be encouraged to come together to set sustainable intentions for the year ahead in the safe and welcoming space providing creative workshops for all. Events include supper clubs catered by ESEA chefs, mahjong club, talks by thought-provoking speakers, film screenings and exhibitions, and a lively market stall selling unique products by ESEA artisans.
The green focus of this event will give visitors the opportunity to explore and experience three films by April Lin 林森that deal with ecological crisis, more-than-human relations, interspecies and mythological ancestry. There will also be an opportunity to hear directly from April Lin 林森 in a curator talk. Audiences can get a sneak peek of a work in progress version of Henri Affandi’s live performance piece The Babirusa. Museum of the Home’s film Home Grown will be screened in the Chapel and offers insight into how some Vietnamese people tend to their gardens.
Visitors can learn the popular traditional Chinese memory and strategy game, Mahjong, taught in the old Hong Kong style by local experts. Lively market stalls with unique products created by local ESEA artisans, including Birdsong and YUK FUN, offer a retail opportunity. Visitors can also join maker Amy Leung’s colourful seed bombing workshop to learn how to decorate their home with beautiful flowers.
Foodies can feast on an all-vegan brunch and discussion on post-exoticism with the founder of Celestial Peach, Jenny Lau, or be immersed in a multimedia supper club with chef Patarita Tassanarapan, where Thai recipes meet sustainable cuisine featuring local plant-based, low carbon footprint ingredients. Soundscapes and visual installations accompany the dining experience to narrate the landscape and food culture of Thailand.
Green Lunar New Year is part of Museum of the Home’s ESEA programme, generously supported by the Lien Viet fund, awarded by Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association.
