Dim Sum at the Silver Dragon
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Alexandria Masse works with wool to construct wearable art. She is fascinated by how a material can be manipulated and uses sewing, knitting and crochet to make soft sculptures and wearables. In addition, her constant battle with racial imposter syndrome drives her to discover new ways to cherish and reclaim her culture within her work.
In Dim Sum at the Silver Dragon, Masse establishes deep connections between childhood memories, family and culture through food in the development of each piece. She is a second-generation immigrant and draws inspiration from her mother's Hong Kong heritage; inspired by memories of gathering with family at her grandparents' restaurant around a large round table with a lazy Susan spinning countless plates of food. Masse reminiscences watching her gunggung cook many savoury dishes; she reflects on those familiar staples of her childhood. Each piece is inspired by things you would see on the table at dim sum.
Masse utilizes crochet to form sculptures with yarn. She employs techniques of felting and soft sculpture to manipulate the wool. Dying each piece several times imitates cooking food. In conjunction, the creation of crochet mimics creating food through techniques passed down from generation to generation. Masse draws these connections in an endeavour to connect and continue the matriarchal traditions of craft and cooking in her family.
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Silver Dragon - the name of my grandparent's restaurant. When they immigrated to Canada with four kids, they kept HongKonger culture alive through food. I miss the restaurant. Even though it closed in 2008, I remember walking in and running my fingers on the plastic grapevines at the entrance. A wave of hot air and flavourful smells hit me when I stepped into the kitchen. I sat at a small table with rounded edges in the kitchen corner while I watched my gunggung cook in a grease-covered white tank top. A small tube tv-sat on top of a fridge in the corner. My gunggung would take a tray of fresh almond cookies out of the oven when I would visit. I used to pick out the almond from the centre of the cookie and eat it first because it was my favourite part. When I wasn't playing with plastic cocktail swords, I was attempting to help by folding paper take-out boxes and rolling cutlery for later use. There felt like an infinite amount of paper placemats at my disposal to draw all over. When I finished drawing; my popo would display my finished masterpieces on the fridge. (hand-dyed 100% wool)
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Longevity Noodles, also known as Long Life Noodles, are eaten during Lunar New Year for good luck and a long, happy life. Every year, my popo (grandma) would pile noodles onto my plate; she tells me the more noodles, the longer I would live, so I eat as many as I could until I’m stuffed. Being with family while eating food and celebrating a vital holiday always brings me joy. Unable to do those things because of the pandemic has made me feel disconnected from something that was once so important to me. I miss the noodles. (hand-dyed 100% wool)
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My popo (grandma) was the first person to teach me how to fold wontons. I remember how my fingers stumbled when I tried to keep up. Every wonton she made was perfect; I wish to be half as good as she is one day. Even if I was terrible at folding them (I still am), it wasn’t about making perfect wontons. (hand-dyed 100% wool)
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A staple in cooking for so many things I love, like sauces and dumplings; my favourite would have to be chilli oil. Every time I go home, there are always dried peppers in my mom's kitchen. My dad grows them in the backyard during the summers, and when they're ripe, my mom leaves them in the kitchen sun to dry. So you can always spot ones sitting above the sink. (hand-dyed 100% wool)
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Bok Choy - Meaning white vegetable in Cantonese. I like when it’s cooked with chilli oil and garlic. (hand-dyed 100% wool)
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Egg Tarts - the perfect ending to a big meal. After sharing many dishes at dim sum, I always saved room for egg tarts. The taste is nostalgic for me. I think of being a kid at dim sum on a Sunday afternoon, every time I peel back the wrapper and take a big bite, sending pastry flakes all over my lap. (hand-dyed 100% wool)
