When Alan Weedon met multidisciplinary artist Angie Pai, they were uni students taking their first steps in the adult world. He was struck by Angie’s ability to have fun, youth-fuelled, messy adventures whilst retaining a closeness to her family and traditional values. It’s a dynamic that Angie explores in her practice to this day, often with the involvement and input of her mother, Shu-Ling Huang. In this episode, Angie recounts the events which inspired her short film Listen to Mama (2019) while Alan describes the experience of viewing it and the resonance it’s had in his own life.
Angie’s current exhibition is called Why You Like This? It runs until 21 May, 2023. Details can be found here.
Download a copy of the transcript here:
Credits
Written, cut and hosted by Lisa Divissi
Supervising production, sound design and mixing by Jon Tjhia
Fact checking by Mell Chun
Theme music by Marcus Whale
Additional music, including original compositions by AnSo and Marcus Whale
Published by Leah Jing McIntosh
Executive production by Lisa Divissi
Special thanks this episode to Angie Pai, Shu-Ling Huang, Alan Weedon, Leah Jing McIntosh and Panda Wong.
Shifting Subjects is a Liminal podcast and a proud member of the Broadwave podcast network. It is supported by City of Melbourne Arts Grants and Creative Victoria.
Links and further reading, listening, watching:
Podcasts:
Lulu Wang’s film The Farewell (2009) got a mention when interviewing Angie. Wang originally told this story on radio as part of an episode of This American Life, titled What You Don’t Know. Both versions are great.
Art:
Last year I was lucky to catch Allison Chhorn’s installation Skin Shade Night Day at ACE Gallery in Adelaide. It shares a sense of nostalgia and longing with Listen to Mama (2019). It’s an immersive piece documenting the daily routines and rituals of her family, such as gardening and cooking, created with projected film and soundscape. Even simply closing your eyes and listening to the audio will transport you. You can also read an interview with Allison in Liminal Mag here.
Film and TV:
I watched Kāinga (2022) at the closing night of the Melbourne Women in Film Festival earlier this year. Made by Asian filmmakers, it’s a portmanteau film depicting the experiences of Asians making homes in Aotearoa New Zealand. There were a couple of moments, relationships and characters I kept thinking about whilst working on Angie’s story. Kāinga is the third film in a trilogy produced by Kerry Warkia and Kiel McNaughton. If the chance comes up to see it, you must.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) I know, I know, you’ve seen it already …rewatch?
Read:
An interview with Angie Pai by James Robinson in Liminal (2018)
Why You Like This, co-produced by Eliza Jung, guest edited by Panda Wong. I was fortunate to read some of the writing in this collection ahead of its release. This is a perfect place to learn more about Angie’s art.
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