Interstitial Explorations into the Cantonese Essence Through the Design of Documentary Travelogues

Abstract

This article presents a practice-led research that explores the potential of contemporary, poetic travelogues to express and preserve cultural identity. The project addresses the question: How can a travelogue that combines poetic writing, mixed media imagery, and structured document design convey an evolving sense of Cantonese identity? Drawing on Eastern and Western frameworks—specifically, theories of time, interstitial spaces, and cultural identity from Confucian, Daoist, phenomenological, and postcolonial perspectives, the study situates the travelogue as a record of journeys; and expand it to bridge ancestral heritage and modern life. Employing a reflective practice approach, the project combines photography, archival research, sketching, Chinese traditional binding, narrative interviews, poetic writing, and cyanotype illustration to document the perspectives of two generations of Cantonese women. These methods contribute to multi-layered narratives that blend historical and contemporary elements. The study is significant for its contributions to cross-cultural reflections. Through poetic storytelling, this research reinterprets cultural lifestyles and traditions from everyday life in the past, providing a medium to explore Cantonese heritage. It contributes to studies on generational narratives by examining how the same physical spaces are perceived and understood across different time periods.